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FACES AND PHASES 

of German Life. 



BY 

THEOPHILUS LIEFELD 

Former American Consul at Freiburg, Baden. 




NEW YORK LONDON 

FOWLER & WELLS CO. L. N. FOWLER & CO, 



^ y 



Copyright, 1910 
THEOPHILUS LIEFELD. 



C>CI.A265G07 



K 



TO THE 

HONORABLE N. D. SPERRY, 
Congressman from Connecticut, 

A CHARACTER RE:S0IvUTE), NOBIvE), PURE, 

THIS BOOK IS MOST RESPECTFULLY 

INSCRIBED. 



PREFACE. 

During the past ten years, until June 30, 1908, when by 
one Act of Congress twenty-eight consulates, among them that 
at Freiburg, Baden, Germany, were abolished, it was my good 
fortune to be stationed in charge of a public office in a foreign 
country; and many have been the types of individuals, good, 
bad and indifferent, that have come under my observation. A 
few of these ''Character Pictures," as I shall call them, I have 
noted here. 

In connection with each character sketch I shall study also 
some phase of German life, giving a description of the coun- 
try, its inhabitants, its government, the habits and customs, in 
fact anything and everything that may serve to explain the 
preceding character ; and I hope that thereby the book will be 
rendered more valuable and more interesting to the reader. 

I have endeavored to be truthful and accurate in my 
descriptions of this remarkable nation, and in every respect 
unprejudiced ; but I am w^ell aware that there may be some who, 
having travelled abroad and acquired their own opinions from 
unpleasant experiences, may differ with me. But to these I 
will say that a consul has exceptional advantages over other 



PREFACE. 

residents because of the many dealings, the correspondence, 
etc., with the authorities, the business people and citizens gen- 
erally; and if he himself is familiar with the language so that 
he can converse with them, read their papers, attend their meet- 
ings, and can, so to say, be one of them, his insight into for- 
eign affairs and foreign modes of thinking becomes as a matter 
of course all the more accurate and reliable. 

As with the best of intentions inaccuracies may nevertheless 
occur, any reader will confer a great favor upon the author 
by writing him, and so helping to make a possible second 
edition an improvement over the first. 

I am indebted to Dr. Susan S. Sheridan, Director of Eng- 
lish in the New Haven High School, who carefully read the 
manuscript. Theophilus LiKi'eJi.d. 

New Haven, Connecticut, January, 191 o. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

MR. ANDROS, The Terribly Afflicted Man 9 

General Comments 14 

Germany I7 

The German Character 18 

The German Empire 22 

The German Emperor 2.7 

Germany and America ZZ 

A Practical Nation 39 

German Money 42 

Weights and Measures 43 

MR. BARTON, The Forgotten Man ; or. An Inheritance Regained 49 

German Emigration 52 

MR. CAROL, An Aged Sinner. Part 1 65 

Part II 68 

The German Notary 1Z 

CASE OF MR. DARDANELLES. Part 1 79 

Part II 84 

Burials in Germany 91 

MR. EPSON, The Tramp Professor; or, A Rolling Stone Gathers 

No Moss 91 

The German Courts 103 

Judgment of Oaths 106 

The Poor-debtor Landlord 108 

The Non-paying Tenants no 

Penalties for Perjury 112 

Imprisoned, though Innocent 114 

The Swindling Widow , i iS 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

The Teweler's Oath 120 

The German Prisons 121 

Capital Punishment 123 

Strange Sentences 124 

The Dead Father 126 

Rescued 127 

The Unborn Burgomaster 128 

A Variety of Troubles 129 

Uncertain Nationality * 131 

MR. FRANK, The Hospitable American, or, A Friend in Need is a 

Friend Indeed 135 

German Women 138 

Frauenbund 140 

German Men 141 

German Peasant Woman 143 

Marriage Endeavors 146 

Leap Year Proposal 149 

A Postmaster's Daughter 152 

The German Cook 153 

The German Woman 155 

MR. GORDONE. The Man Who Brags 157 

The German Soldier 160 

The Soldier's Duties 167 

The Silenced Power Behind the Throne 171 

Power of Literature 174 

Prepared for Peace 176 

Military Discipline 178 

Courtesy of Army Officer 180 

Consular Protection 181 

Two Alsatians 183 

The Deserter of 1870 184 i 

A Yankee Trick 185 

In Haste 187 

European Unrest 189 

MRS. HADDOCK. The Unhappy Woman; or Be it Ever so 

Humble, There's no Place Like Home 191 

Sample Letters Received 501 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Language Lessons 203 

The German Post Office 204 

MR. INMAN. The American Cowboy. Part 1 211 

Part II 217 

The Unwelcome American 218 

The Aida Encore 219 

The Noble American 220 

The German University 225 

Municipal University Celebrations 229 

The Americanism of the German University 231 

The German Professor 2^3 

University Customs 236 

University Prison 244 

Universities of Germany 246 

Student Duels 250 

Description of a Duel 255 

Student Clubrooms 268 

Student Kneipe 270 

Student Societies 279 

MR. & MRS. JASON. The Discontented Couple. Chapter 1 281 

Chapter II 288 

Chapter III 298 

Chapter IV 300 

Chapter V 303 

Chapter VI 309 

Chapter VII 314 



FACES AND PHASES 

of German Life. 

BY 

THEOPHILUS LIEFELD. 

Former American Consul at Freiburg, Baden. 



MR. ANDROS. 

TH^ TE;RRIBI.Y AlPFUCTED MAN. 

The big round tears 
Coursed one another dozvn his innocent nose 
In piteous chase. — As You Like It: II, i. 

Some few years ago this gentleman, for that he pretended 
to be, called at the consulate with a very plaintive story. He 
desired help, and help quickly. His demands were not very 
great, but it was absolutely necessary from his point of view 
that he be supplied with a few marks without delay. A strong, 
robust man, able-bodied, his characteristic full round face and 
well-developed head seemed to point to a character that could 
undertake almost anything, and would with a good training 
have made a remarkable career in the world. 

This man fairly wept in the office and large tears rolled 
down his cheeks because of the distress which he was suffering. 



10 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

He rehearsed his story, apparently so accurate in all details, in 
a manner which would have almost melted a heart of stone. 
He had, as he claimed, just come a day or so ago to Freiburg 
with his wife, and with her had walked the long distance of 
some fifty miles from Strassburg; now he was without funds 
and his feet were terribly swollen because of his great exertion, 
and especially was he concerned about the awful condition of 
his wife, who was a frail, delicate person, now lying sick at 
the boarding house because of what she had suffered on this 
long walk. All that he wanted was a temporary loan, suffi- 
cient to pay his board for the past few days, so that he could 
start on his way towards Switzerland, where his early home 
had been and where his many friends lived. He represented 
himself as an American, even showing me his passport, and 
deceived me in no respect as regards his identity. 

It was not at first my intention to accommodate this man, 
for not being afraid of a good long walk myself, there seemed 
to be no reason why an able-bodied man such as he was, 
with sound, strong, muscular development, could not stand it; 
but out of consideration for the trouble in which his wife 
was — suddenly taken ill, no money to pay doctor's bills, and 
about to be reported to the police for non-payment of board- 
bills, etc. — I was moved to assist him, and he was not slow 
in expressing great appreciation and deep gratitude. As a 
sort of security he left with me the photographs of both par- 
ents, which pictures are still in my possession as souvenirs of 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 1 1 

official life abroad, not because of any special value to me, but 
because they had ceased to be of any further value to Mr. 
Andros, for he neither called for them nor afterwards mani- 
fested the least interest in them. It was at his urgent request 
and suggestion that I took these pictures as security, and he 
even commented on the appearance of them, for as they were 
very much pocket-worn, it clearly showed, he said, how highly 
he prized them. 

This man from the beginning of his interview had given 
me the impression that he was a deceiver, partly because he 
did not speak of his delicate wife and her serious nervous 
breakdown until he learned that the narration of his own 
terrible breakdown made no impression on me, for I envied 
him his long, interesting walk on excellent, level roads, and 
even told him that such a short walk was nothing for a strong 
physical constitution like his, and would only serve to benefit 
his health. So he was obliged to resort to new tactics, and 
concocted the wife story. Another reason for my distrust of 
him was that his demands were too modest, for the small 
amount of money he desired would by no means have covered 
all his debts; but perhaps he had already learned the lesson 
that his efforts as a beggar would be more likely to be crowned 
with success if he asked for small amounts than for large 
sums. A third reason for suspecting this man was the fact 
that he claimed to have been formerly a Swiss, and that his 
destination was Basel, Switzerland, his former home, only 



12 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

sixty-two kilometers (thirty-six miles) distant, where he had 
many friends who could and would immediately help him, yet 
it did not seem advisable to him to write these friends for aid. 
In his note of indebtedness to me he mentioned several promi- 
nent parties in Basel as references and also promised to return 
the money in a few days after his arrival there. When these 
few days had passed several times over and it was becoming 
evident to me that my suspicions had certainly been well- 
founded, I came upon a city postal card sent in care of the 
consulate and directed to him. Seeing that he was therein 
reminded by a party in the city to call as he had agreed to do, 
I wrote a short note to the sender of the postal, and in the 
evening received a call from this party, a Swiss student, and 
then some more of Mr. Andros's swindling tricks came to 
light. For it seems that he had purchased a directory of 
Freiburg University students and then had called for help on 
all whose homes were Switzerland, representing himself as 
Swiss, which he could perhaps conscientiously do, for, as 
I have been informed, a Swiss citizen does not lose his citi- 
zenship in Switzerland, even if naturalized in another country. 
From these, his generous fellow countrymen, Mr. Andros, 
this terribly afflicted individual, had received a considerable 
sum of money, and perhaps that explains why his demands 
from me were so modest. But it seems that immediately after 
calling on me he visited this particular Swiss student again, 
with a face beaming full of joy and expectation, for now he 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 13 

claimed that all his troubles were at an end and his life would 
be all sunshine hereafter. The American consul had given him 
a good position with satisfactory pay in the consulate and he 
would begin his work on the following Monda}^ He also 
claimed that the consul would not give him any advance pay- 
ments, but as he needed a new office-suit, he begged the student 
to kindly loan him a little more money under promise of 
returning it at the end of the week, when his first wages would 
be received, and so on these misrepresentations he obtained 
considerable help. The reader can imagine that the use of 
the name of the consulate for such base swindling purposes 
affected me more than the loss of the few marks which I had 
loaned him, and I immediately proceeded to investigate the 
case of this queer individual, and not only corresponded with 
but also called on one of his references, a prominent attorney in 
Basel, and learned that in all particulars, as far as his name 
and his references were concerned, Mr. Andros had made no 
efforts to deceive, and also that the photographs left with me 
were those of his parents, both of whom were dead. This 
attorney also informed me that Mr. Andros was just then 
serving a term in the Basel jail for swindling operations, and 
that he was the black sheep of the family, for his parents had 
both been diligent and industrious, his father having been an 
efficient civil engineer in Switzerland, who had died some 
eighteen months previously, leaving 360,000 francs for his two 
sons. Mr. Andros had in a short time squandered his inheri- 



14 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

tance of 180,000 francs, or about $36,000, in riotous living, 
and was now aimlessly wandering about the world imposing 
on benevolent people everywhere, eking out an existence with- 
out work, while the frail, delicate wife whose poor condition 
had caused such a copious flow of tears, was a myth, for he 
had deserted his wife and children in New York. 

Correspondence with Mr. Andros as prisoner showed that 
even from the prison-cell he was full of promises as to what 
he would do if I would not take any steps against him for his 
crooked dealings at Freiburg. He was very earnest in his 
pleadings that I should not press the matter, as he was suffering 
enough already, and declared that a friend in Berne had prom- 
ised to help him pay his debts ; but this story was probably also 
a fable, for he would not disclose the friend's name so that I 
could apply directly to him. Although no faith was placed 
in any such promises, my time was too precious to bother any 
more about him, for to convict him I should have been obliged 
to spend a day or two at Basel. So with a parting word of 
encouragement and a hope that he would reform, I yielded to 
his urgent request and gave him one more trial, but never heard 
from him again, his last promises being like the first, nothing 
but the thinnest of thin air. 

GENERAI. COMMENTS. 

Principle I zvould teach thein. — 2 Henry IV: iv, 3. 
We can well imagine the great amount of worry and care 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 15 

which these good parents must have had over this worthless 
son, and we wonder why it is that good, industrious, hard- 
working parents should be cursed with such a child, whose 
only ambition seems to have been to get the best of people 
and to have a good time in life at other people's expense. That 
such a course quite naturally leads to trouble his prison career 
shows ; but probably society is itself somewhat to blame, inas- 
much as it ought to pay more special attention to the develop- 
ment of such individuals who in early youth show mental ten- 
dencies in the wrong direction, and give them a reformatory, 
non-disgraceful training before they have had the chance to 
begin the career of fraud and deception, which eventually is 
sure to make of them social outcasts, and sooner or later to 
land them in prison, with the consequent disgrace and dishonor 
to their family and friends. From a financial point of view it 
would certainly be far more economical and advantageous to 
society to support at public expense character-forming schools, 
and make noble, ambitious citizens, than to maintain at great 
cost to the state, the prisons, often non-reformatory and unsym- 
pathetic, so that a prisoner after his release feels discouraged 
and often commits again crime, to get even, as it were, with 
society. 

Instead of making education what its name implies, a 
"leading out,'' a training and a guidance of the mental facul- 
ties, we are apt to make of it a system of cramming, and 



i6 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

unwisely, almost wickedly, force a scholar to do the work of 
a whole year over again, merely because he has not crammed 
enough to answer a few selected questions, called an examina- 
tion, irrespective of whether he has been mentally trained that 
year or not ; and so in a way our school-system, wrongly called 
educational, has discouraged him, instead of giving him that 
mental stimulus which would give him the right start in life. 

Let us hope that our Boards of Education and our School 
Superintendents will at some time give us these character 
schools, or at least character-building or mind-training courses 
at school under competent special instructors, whose aim will 
and must be not to cram the memory but to train the individual 
mental faculties to act normally. Then the acquisition of 
knowledge would become a natural and easy sequence to such 
training in place of the hard, laborious task it oftentimes is 
to-day. We should then appreciate the teacher who studies 
her scholars and aims to train them according to their indi- 
vidual traits of character, more than we should appreciate 
the one whose only aim is to stuff and cram so that she can 
show the scholars off when the superintendent or committee- 
man calls. 

Their idea of an education may possibly be that it is 
memory-cramming, and so they perhaps oblige an otherwise 
good teacher to ^^educate" her scholars just that way. Had 
Mr. Andros received in his youth special mental training and 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 17 

had it been impressed on him what the normal and right 
activity of the faculties of the human mind should be, it would 
have been worth more to him than all the mental cramming 
he received, which possibly may have only served to train his 
perverted mind in perverted ways ; his parents might have been 
spared much worry and he might have led an honorable, ener- 
getic, successful and noble life like his father, instead of the 
disgraceful, ignoble and dishonorable one which he chose to 
follow. 

GERMANY. 

Greatness knozvs itself. — I Henry IV: iv, 3. 

For the benefit of those readers who, in accordance with an 
almost universal custom, have chosen first to study the book 
before reading the preface, it may be repeated that it is the 
author's intention to present after each character-sketch some 
phase of German life or custom mentioned therein so as to 
^make the sketch more real and more readily understood, and 
especially in the hope that a greater interest in this important 
country, Germany, will be awakened if facts are explained at 
a time when the mind may desire and need the information. 
In the preceeding sketch the marks and kilometers were men- 
tioned, so it will be necessary to explain these terms, but before 
making these explanations let us study the country and its 
inhabitants. 



i8 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

TH^ GERMAN CHARACTE:r. 

/ do profess to be no less than I seem; to serve him truly 
that will put me in trust; to love him that is honest; to con- 
verse zvith him that is wise, and says little; to fear judgment; 
to Ught, zvhen I cannot choose. — King Lear : I, 4. 

An American professor lately wrote a book in German on 
America, which met with very favorable criticism in Germany. 
He called America, *'Das Land der Unbegrenzten Moeglich- 
keiten" (The Land of Unlimited Possibilities), a very appro- 
priate title for America, for with our great and wonder- 
ful resources, our nervous activity, our restless energy and our 
practical ability there is hardly anything which we can not 
accomplish; but the very expressive title applies equally well 
to Germany, for there is no enterprise or problem in life, 
whether in matters of industry, science, schools and universi- 
ties, army and navy, or any other questions, in which Germany 
does not to-day stand foremost, or so near to first place that 
it is only a question of time when she will be at the head. 
There is nothing which German thought, German patience, 
German determination — in short, German character, will not 
accomplish; what is can with us is zvill with the Germans; 
whatever we can do the Germans zvill do; while we are able 
to perform they are determined to perform whatever existing 
circumstances and environments may demand. While Ger- 
many may be in a way restricted in her possibilities because 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 19 

of location, size, etc., there Is nothing to prevent her from 
being the land of the most determined possibihties. 

In order to better understand these people, let us study their 
disposition a little more closely: The German has by nature 
a good character with proper aims and noble ambitions, a char- 
acter that will not be discouraged and one which does not 
know the word failure. Like the spider, if the thread of work 
has snapped twelve times, he will start the thirteenth time, and 
patiently continue at the question before him, however intricate 
it may be, until his effort is crowned with complete success. 
He will not stop work at any problem until it is finished in 
each and every detail. In other words, he follows in later busi- 
ness and professional life the beautiful precepts and teachings 
which are also taught us in our day schools and Sunday schools, 
but which we never use except to take out of the storehouse- 
of our memory when in after years it becomes necessary to 
teach them to the new rising generation, which then follows 
in our footsteps, and does likewise. 

In whatever the German does he avoids the sensational and 
sentimental, and is influenced by his intellect, thinking and leg- 
islating in a methodical, logical, philosophical and critical man- 
ner, whether it pertain to the making and enforcing of laws, 
to the making of roads or railroads, or questions of religion 
and churches, kindergartens, servants, insurance, taxes, etc. — 
in short, everything. And a foreigner, who may be enraged 
and indeed suffering mentally because of the inconvenience 



20 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

due to his lack of understanding these to him new methods of 
thought and action, and who may find most outspoken fault 
at this methodical ''setness" of things, must nevertheless admire 
the system, even if he despises it, and feel that the German 
knows well how to "get there" every time, if that is his aim. 

If my readers think from any remarks made that life as 
American consul abroad has caused me so to admire Germany 
as to lose the true American spirit and become a German, let 
me say that I am trying to present to him in an unprejudiced 
manner the results of years of close study of and association 
with these people; and my words are to be considered as a 
narration of fact and neither as an endorsement nor a non- 
endorsement of the system. In my eleven years of official 
residence in Germany, during which time I have found the 
Germans as a race courteous, obliging, kind and attentive, and 
have made many excellent acquaintances and friends among 
them, I have never ceased to feel myself a stranger in a strange 
land. 

In several respects there are advantages which America 
possesses which will always keep her ahead of Germany, as, 
for example, the vastness of our country and its great 
resources, which make us entirely independent of the world in 
a way that Germany can never be ; and especially our isolation, 
for we have no near neighbors against whom we must always 
be on our guard ; and, again, we are not bound down by strin- 
gent l^w? which would hamper us in the performance of our 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 21 

everyday labor. For a resident of Germany has to keep in 
mind many little details, or he will be fined for negligence ; as 
when he fails to report within three days that his servant has 
left him or that he has engaged a new employee or that he 
has moved to some other street or city or that his tenant has 
moved or a new tenant has come, etc., the keeping all these 
things in his mind must necessarily affect most seriously and 
disadvantageously his mental powers for business and other 
affairs, and therein we have a great advantage over him which 
he is unable to realize nor we to properly appreciate. More- 
over, the compulsory military system requires from every able- 
bodied man several years' enforced absence from his regular 
occupation, and this must put every young man back in busi- 
ness life to an extent which we can little understand. But while 
we gain immensely because free from these disadvantages we 
must be considerate and not abuse or unwisely find fault with 
those very laws and customs which have really served to make 
Germany the great country which we see to-day, the admira- 
tion and fear of the civilized world. 



22 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

THE GERMAN EMPIRE. 

To he, or not to he, that is the question: — 
Whether 'tis nohler in the mind, to suffer 
The slings and arrows of otitrageous fortune; 
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles. 
And, hy opposing, end them? — Hamlet: III, i. 
It may be well to spend a few moments in studying the rea- 
sons for Germany's greatness of to-day, which really means 
her very existence as a nation. We all admire such of our own 
countrymen who, like Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, 
James Garfield, Thomas Edison, were born or brought up in 
circumstances or environments with little encouragement in 
life, yet who overcame all difficulties and nobly worked against 
all opposition with honorable aims and ambitions ever in their 
minds, and at last made themselves the masters and not the 
slaves of their unpleasant surroundings, winning the admira- 
tion and respect of all and earning a name in history that will 
last for all ages to come. 

The life of a nation can be compared to the life of an indi- 
vidual, for it too has a youthful period of development perhaps 
with problems facing it impossible to solve ; then later the man-, 
hood period with full confidence in its own strength and ability ; 
still later a stage of internal domestic development and progress 
with most of the vexatious problems of life satisfactorily 
answered ; and finally either a ripe old age, respected and loved, 
or a miserable downfall and decay. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 23 

Germany has passed and is still passing through an era of 
development and progress in which failure and disappointment 
are unknown terms, and which is bound to lead to ultimate 
success in every respect. For centuries past until quite recent 
times Germany has been the great battle-ground of Europe. 
Her very location is a serious disadvantage and would be a 
great drawback if the country were weak, for even to-day 
she is surrounded on all sides by exceedingly powerful enemies 
which assume the role of friends as long as they dare not 
attack, for each has a secret grudge against her invincible 
neighbor even if that grudge be only the result of envy of 
her power and progress. With Russia, Austria, Italy and 
France all jealously watching her from all sides and England 
with her powerful navy only a stone's throw away, who is 
there that does not admire the greatness of modern Germany, 
laboring under such circumstances, yet pushing her way to the 
front against all opposition, shining all the more brilliantly 
because so surrounded, even turning this its most serious dis- 
advantage to the most excellent advantage imaginable? Who 
can deny that with the neighbors all kept at a distance, fully 
recognizing her strength, Germany can give proper attention to 
the victories of peace, and, like a bubbling, gushing, overflow- 
ing artesian well, she can at slight cost and with little or no 
inconvenience due to transportation through a third country 
supply the whole civilized world with the products of her 
industries, successfully competing against all nations? In 



24 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

the Middle Ages the great and powerful kingdom of Spain 
owned the Netherlands and so was also a close neighbor to 
Germany; and in the great Thirty Years' War, 1618 to 1648, 
Germany being Central Europe, was the scene of all strife, 
even the Swedes coming from the far north to take part in the 
general devastation. In southern Germany, in the Black Forest, 
the Swedish earthworks, called Schwedische Schanzen, are to 
be seen to this day; and a half a mile beyond Villingen on the 
Black Forest plateau are the remains of a Swedish dam, built 
for the purpose of raising the level of the little stream and 
so flooding the city and forcing the inhabitants to surrender. 
And was not Germany in the beginning of the past century, in 
a sense, the playground of Napoleon Bonaparte, for did he 
not do with it and in it just about as he pleased? 

The former kingdom of Poland was situated between pow^- 
erful enemies, who took it away from the Poles and divided 
it among themselves; for it could not overcome the natural 
obstacles in the way of its independent existence; and so the 
Poles of Austria, Prussia and Russia of to-day are discon- 
tented and still longing for the restoration of their former 
kingdom, with no hope that this will ever come to pass. That 
Germany was not likewise taken possession of by her powerful 
neighbors, but, always prepared for war, nevertheless found 
time to perfect herself in science, industry, commerce, etc. — 
this has roused the admiration of the whole world and given 
her an honorable place in history. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 25 

It was the unification of Germany which brought her before 
the modern world, and the three wars which directly led to this 
unification were that against Denmark in 1864, that against 
Austria in 1866, and the most important and terrible of all, the 
war against France in 1870. Since that time the world has 
been obliged even against its will to learn the important lesson 
that there is a Germany, whose influence will be felt in all 
world-problems and which has to be feared whether in time of 
peace or in time of war. 

That this country manages to benefit even when its com- 
petitors try to crush it, is evident when we consider that Eng- 
land, to encourage her own industries and keep out German 
wares, which, she intimated, were of inferior quality, obliged 
the Germans to label their goods ''Made in Germany" ; but as 
the Germans made their articles sound and lasting and better 
than the home product, the demand for them in England 
increased, and this law, instead of keeping German goods out, 
became a most valuable advertisement and the German industry 
profited greatly thereby. 

Until the end of the year 1870 the German states were not 
united, but on January 18, 1871, the German Empire was 
declared in the royal palace at Versailles, near Paris, France. 
It consists of four kingdoms, Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria and 
Wiirttemberg ; of six Grand Duchies, of which the Grand 
Duchy of Baden is the greatest; of five Duchies and seven 
smaller Principalities, each of these with its own ruler and ^ 



26 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

monarchical form of government; there are also three free 
cities, Bremen, Hamburg and Lviibeck, which can be called 
Republics, and one Imperial Territory, Alsace-Lorraine; with 
foreign colonies in Africa, China and Oceanica. The area of 
all these states, not including the colonies, is 208,830 square 
miles, and the population numbered in 1890, 49,428,470, and in 
1900, 56,367,178, very nearly 270 inhabitants to each square 
mile of area. The king of Prussia was crowned as German 
Emperor and is the official supreme head of the empire, which 
is a kind of republic with the emperor as permanent life- 
president at the head of the central government. This central 
government consists of two houses, the Upper House and the 
Lower House. The Upper House corresponds to our Senate 
and is called the Bundesrat, whose fifty-eight members repre- 
sent the several states as states. These states, however, do 
not have equal representation: Prussia, the greatest in area, 
etc., having seventeen; Bavaria, six; the other two kingdoms 
each four ; Baden and Hesse each three, etc. The Lower House 
corresponds to our House of Representatives, and is called the 
Reichstag, its members being elected for a term of five years by 
the people of the several states. There are 397 representatives 
in the Reichstag. Alsace-Lorraine, the Reichsland, has fifteen 
representatives in the Lower House, but it is not an indepen- 
dent state, and hence is not entitled to any representation in 
the Bundesrat, 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 27 

THE GERMAN EMPEROR. 

O noble emperor!— Antony and Cleopatra : III, 7. 

Although Emperor Wilham has the title of German 
Emperor, it is not correct to call His Majesty Emperor of 
Germany, and some of the states of Germany are very jealous 
and sensitive on that point. The title "Emperor of Germany" 
would imply that Germany was a unit or one country with the 
emperor the ruler over all; while by the title "German 
Emperor" is understood that Germany is a union, consisting 
of many states, each with its own ruler, united to form one 
large country. If Emperor William were ^^Emperor of Ger- 
many," we could infer that all other rulers in Germany were 
his appointees, whom he could at will depose and replace, and 
that they were in a sense also his subjects. As German 
Emperor he is that ruler who is looked upon as presiding offi- 
cer, as praesidium or president of all. We can understand also 
that a similar distinction must be made regarding the expres- 
sions Empire of Germany and German Empire. 

Emperor William, though supreme ruler of Germany, has 
very little if anything to say concerning the internal affairs of 
any of the several states, with the single exception of Prussia, 
over which he rules as king. In this respect we might compare 
him to our own President, who presides over the whole coun- 
try, but has no direct right to interfere in the internal affairs 
of any separate state, that being the privilege and duty of the 



28 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

several governors. While the President of the United States 
may be a native resident of any of our states, the German 
Emperor is always the king of Prussia. 

One of the chief things which have served to make Ger- 
many great and helped to bring about its unification is the fact 
that the rulers have with very few exceptions been individuals 
of noble personal character, of unselfish aims and honorable 
ambitions, who honestly believed they were rulers through the 
divine grace of God, and that as such they had a special mis- 
sion to fulfill on earth. They have always felt a just and truly 
conscientious responsibility in the exalted position which by 
birth was theirs and have ever been truly mindful of the wel- 
fare of the subjects over which it was their hereditary duty 
to rule. Emperor William I and Emperor Frederick were 
truly great and noble rulers, beloved by the German people and 
respected by all other nations. Of the other German rulers, I 
need only mention the late Grand Duke Frederick of Baden, 
whose superior in ancient or in modern times it would be hard 
to find — as a character, as an individual, as a man; while 
through his kind rule and influence the Grand Duchy of 
Baden became one of the most prosperous and contented in 
Germany. These rulers have also endeavored to choose good 
and honorable advisers, chancellors and ministers ; so that the 
present greatness of Germany is simply a very natural conse- 
quence. The present Emperor William II is no exception ; his 
eye and thought have ever been for the good of Germany and 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 29 

the welfare of its inhabitants, even though that fact has unfor- 
tunately not always been recognized and appreciated by his 
own people. 

Emperor William is in advance of his people; he is a real 
leader, energetic, active and impulsive, and the slow, plodding 
German, whose heart and soul lie oftentimes in banqueting and 
feasting, is not willing to be urged on in life by a quick- 
thinking, determined leader; hence the occasional conflicts. 
We can well speak of Emperor William as one of the few 
Yankees in Germany ; for this quick, practical, ever-ready mind 
is active in just those ways by which we characterize our New 
England Yankee. Who after diligent thought and study and 
proper understanding of all circumstances can say that Emperor 
William's course at any time has been detrimental to the inter- 
ests of his country? We Americans must not expect him to 
work for the good of America nor for the good of England 
or France ; he is a German, and as such is in duty bound to look 
out for the best interests of Germany, just as our President 
and Congress are expected to look out for the interests of 
America. 

Fault has been found because of his many travels to foreign 
countries, but if Germany is left in trusted hands and every- 
thing is running smoothly, so that his presence is not neces- 
sary, why should any one complain? He certainly is better 
qualified to know what is best for his own country by becom- 
ing thoroughly acquainted with other lands and their inner 



30 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

affairs, good and bad. Besides, he rarely goes so far away 
but he could be in Berlin within a day or two, should his pres- 
ence be absolutely necessary. His travels have never taken 
him as far away as our own dear country, though we can 
imagine that his German heart most earnestly longs to see that 
country to which so many of his good and faithful subjects 
have emigrated, and so to learn what there is in that new land 
so attractive, so fascinating, so grand, that his patriotic Ger- 
mans soon love the land of their adoption better than the 
land of their birth. 

How often do we see it stated even in German papers that 
Emperor William inclines too much in favor of England, as 
is evident from his many visits to that country, etc. ; but we 
must not lose sight of the fact that his Majesty's mother was 
the sister of King Edward, and that it certainly is better for 
the interests of both countries if the rulers be well-disposed 
to each other. How much his heart really inclines towards 
England becomes clear when we consider the development of 
the German navy, which is progressing with such rapid strides 
that the English people and government are greatly disturbed, 
for they realize that it will soon surpass their own. The 
determined, resolute and energetic power behind this great 
marine service is none other than the Kaiser himself. How- 
ever much he may be criticised, his ultimate aim certainly is 
to make Germany the foremost power on the sea as she already 
is the foremost power on land ; and say what we or they will. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 31 

this will soon become an accomplished fact and the English 
nation will have to accept the inevitable, for German force 
of character will be victorious. 

Every now and then our newspapers tell us of cases of some 
German or foreigner who has been sentenced to imprisonment 
of a year or more for being found guilty of Majestaetsbe- 
leidigung or lese-majesty; and these cases are generally por- 
trayed in such a vivid, sensational way that we are apt to 
believe and feel that Emperor William temporarily forgot the 
dignity of his throne and engaged in a street-corner brawl or 
tavern discussion, until when some one saw fit to insult him 
he showed his power by arresting the offender, later appearing 
personally in court to testify. Although our papers generally 
blame the emperor for these cases, he knows in fact absolutely 
nothing about them, except as he may read about them him- 
self or as he may be urged to pardon some offender. The 
Germans, logical and methodical in this as in all other mat- 
ters, reason and legislate that the dignity of the emperor must 
be upheld. In ridiculing such severity our newspapers are 
likely to boast of our American liberties and especially empha- 
size our freedom of speech and freedom of the press, which 
we justly feel proud of and which of course would be all right 
if we were all honorable citizens. But what a penalty we 
have had to pay for such boasted liberties ! The poor, deluded, 
benighted assassin of President McKinley had been so wrought 
up by all the abusive speeches and talk he had heard against 



32 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

our President that he felt himself a hero who was doing an 
act of benevolence which no one else had the courage to do. 
Did he not express surprise at the infuriated crowd gathered 
around him, and even intimate that he had expected that the 
people would so rejoice that they would with cries of joy and 
exultation carry him about on their shoulders as their great 
deliverer from bondage? This in our beloved free country, 
with election at the polls every four years! Need we wonder 
if Europeans deride our boasted liberties, our free institutions, 
when such disastrous consequences are the result! If we had 
laws comparable to those of Germany, this great and good 
President would have lived to accomplish his noble wishes and 
intentions, for, like Lincoln, he too was carrying the great 
burdens of state, fully aware of the deep responsibility resting 
upon him in the exalted place conferred upon him by the people. 

Crimes like these naturally show us the weak points in our 
own government and in course of time we too will make 
rigid laws, for Germany learned perhaps centuries ago the 
lessons which sad experience is teaching us at the present time. 

A few years ago our newspapers in a most sensational 
manner made very unfavorable comments about Emperor Wil- 
liam because in addressing some raw recruits he emphasized 
discipline and obedience, stating that Germany expected such 
implicit obedience from her subjects that if a soldier were 
ordered by his commander to shoot his own parents it was 
his duty to obey. We failed to realize that the same spirit 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 33 

of loyal obedience is expected from our own soldiers or they 
would surely be court-martialed for insubordination. How 
many of our soldiers would have been excused from battle in 
the civil war merely because their brother, father or son was 
fighting on the opposing side and they feared the shots from 
their weapons might kill their own relatives? Are we not 
taught in our schools to admire the old Roman whose son had 
become a traitor to the state and who as judge ordered the 
executioners to do their duty ? 

GE:rMANY and AMERICA. 

There is a kind of character in thy life, 
That, to the observer, doth thy history 
Fidly unfold. — Measure for Measure: I, i. 

One of the chief causes of fault-finding and criticism 
between the peoples of these two nations, Germany and Amer- 
ica, is due to the fact that both countries are great and impor- 
tant and their inhabitants very much interested in each other, 
though at times too eager to jump at conclusions. The great 
public teachers, our newspaper men, unfortunately oftentimes 
give us news from Germany which ought to be treated philo- 
sophically, and likewise in Germany the most sensational affairs 
in America are usually selected as ^'echt amerikanisch," that 
means ^'truly American," and generally it is something so 
extraordinary and ridiculous that we ourselves are amused over 



34 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

it, as perhaps a marriage ceremony in a balloon, or a man 
at a fair offering himself as husband to the prize-winner at a 
dollar a chance, or a pretty girl selling kisses at fifty cents each 
for the benefit of foreign missions, etc. 

To anything out of the ordinary in Germany the name 
American is usually applied, so we hear Germans speak oi the 
American duel and the American auction, both of which we 
Americans know nothing about. By American duel the Ger- 
mans understand a duel where the principals draw lots and the 
unfortunate one is obliged to do away with himself, thus reliev- 
ing the other party of the awful responsibility. The American 
auction is a highly interesting affair; it is carried on in socie- 
ties, clubs, private gatherings, etc., and it creates considerable 
innocent amusement, especially if the auctioneer is a brilliant 
man and witty speaker. The person who makes the first bid 
on the article offered for sale pays immediately the amount of 
his bid into the society's treasury; the person with the second 
bid pays the difference between his bid and the first man's bid, 
and, as we see, the collector has then the full amount of the 
bid ; so each party pays simply the difference between his offer 
and the preceding one until no more bids are made, and the 
last party gets the article on sale, though he may have made 
only the one bid and perhaps had to pay a mere trifle. The 
total amount offered is now on the plate of the collector, who 
has been busy rushing about the room collecting from each 
party making a bid. Have any of the readers attended such 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 35 

an auction in America? Yet this is called the American auc- 
tion throughout Germany. 

As man is truly a Gewohnkeitstier, or creature of habit, and 
is influenced in his judgment by his acquired habits or modes 
of action in preference to his reason, often even wrongly call- 
ing these acquired "instincts" by the name of reason, it becomes 
a very easy matter for the people of two nations to misjudge 
and misunderstand each other. It is hard for the American 
in Germany to understand the why and wherefore of the Ger- 
man mind, the German motives, the actions of the authorities, 
etc. ; the author was no exception at first, but later through 
study and observation he acquired an insight into these seem- 
ing mysteries and a few hints and explanations may enable 
the reader to understand what otherwise might not admit of 
a solution to him or might even cause him, as frequently hap- 
pens, to characterize a polite and courteous nation as rude and 
semi-barbarous. 

We must remember that the training and mode of thinking 
from youth up is different in Germany from that in America, 
and the whole system of life, amusements, duties, etc., differs 
also. In Germany the state and the government can be looked 
upon as fixed, unchangeable quantities, to which the people 
are subjects or individuals who actually belong to the state 
and over whom the state has absolute ow^nership. This is 
the regular monarchical idea. Thinking of the organization 
of Germany in this light, we can understand how each indi- 



36 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

vidual is obliged to do the commands of the state without the 
least questioning or grumbHng whatsoever, just as the mother 
expects the children to obey, or the teacher her scholars and 
the general his soldiers. We can understand also how the state 
can oblige all able-bodied men to become soldiers to defend it 
without any special thanks or consideration from the state in 
return; it is a duty which the individual owes the state, for is 
not the state his guardian, his protector, a paternal necessity, 
which looks out for him in times of peace? 

In America the opposite view prevails, and to this we are 
trained and educated from our earliest school-days through our 
free institutions, our habits and customs, our environments, 
even by the very air we breathe. Here with us the people are 
the fixed unchangeable quantity, and the state is the subject. 
Hence if we do not like our government we wait till the neces- 
sary four years have expired and at the polls we create a new 
government; we have, as it were, a peaceful political revolu- 
tion; and having done our duty at the polls, we feel or should 
feel contented and satisfied with the majority vote, and turn 
to our regular occupations again. But in Germany, where the 
greatest popular vote is for representatives to the Reichstag, no 
vote is ever taken to put in a new ruler, and the people are 
obliged to accept the situation and have no say about any ques- 
tion concerning their rulers, for as the government is the fixed, 
unchangeable quantity, nobody can move or remove it. If with 
us a war break out our state calls upon the people as its guardi- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 37 

ans and protectors to come as volunteers to its defense, and 
we with heart and soul protect and defend that which we have 
created and which is ours, our state, and know that in return 
for such voluntary service on our part the state grants, besides 
the pay for the time and service, generous pensions for disa- 
bilities received, widow pensions, orphan pensions, etc. 

The German theory is that the state is the parent of the 
individual and the American theory is that the individual is 
the parent of the state. Germany then as a government 
assumes this responsibility to properly care for her subjects, 
and feels, we may say, this paternal instinct to provide for her 
children. By law she provides for all her government officials 
and other subjects through sick-benefit funds, old-age pensions, 
pensions to widows and children, invalid and old-age insurance 
for servants and laborers generally. All subjects are so well 
provided for that a tourist might travel all over Germany and 
not see as many beggars as he would meet in any one of the 
large cities of other European countries. The American gov- 
ernment on the contrary, formed by the people, owned by the 
people and subject to the people, knows accordingly nothing 
of this paternal feeling, and without a special act of Congress 
does not grant a pension even to a retiring President nor to 
a President's widow. Perhaps the above explanations will be 
a key also to the proverbial ingratitude of republics. 

Let us analyze according to the above thought any Ger- 
man question, foreign or domestic, which may be mentioned in 



38 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

the papers and it will help us to understand the workings of 
the German mind and to see and feel that the Germans look at 
all matters from an entirely different point of view from ours, 
to which standpoint they have been trained and educated their 
whole lifetime, in all their schools, social gatherings, etc. ; we 
can also understand that to their methodical and philosophical 
minds our ways and institutions, of which we feel justly proud, 
must quite naturally appear crude, undeveloped, primitive, 
sometimes even highly objectionable. 

The Germans of to-day can be compared as to their inner 
domestic affairs to the ancient Spartans, whose severe and rigid 
laws were passed because the existing circumstances threatened 
the health and welfare of the state; and in its foreign relations 
German}^ can surely be compared to the great Roman Empire, 
whose influence was felt throughout the whole civilized world ; 
like the Romans of former days also, if the modern Germans 
wish to gain a victory in peace or in war, the character, the 
determination, the good will, the impulse and the power, these 
mental qualities which lead to success, are all there. 

Keeping in mind these several distinctions between the two 
countries and their inhabitants, the author has not only been 
enabled to understand the domestic questions of Germany bet- 
ter and more intelligently, but has also succeeded oftentimes 
in appeasing the wrath of American tourists who have expe- 
rienced some unpleasantness and who after only a week or two 
in Germany felt that they have discovered the solution to the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 39 

whole difficulty by angrily and perhaps even conceitedly 
exclaiming: ''Well, I don't see why they can't do things as 
we do them at home." 



A PRACTICAL NATION. 

Lord, zve know what we arc, hut know not zvhat zve may be. 
—Hamlet : IV, 5. 

We boast of being the most practical nation on earth and 
in a way this conceit is justified, but we must not forget that 
our environments and our laws, perhaps also our climate, have 
been never-failing advantages which we have to take into 
acconnt. If we were to give the Germans similar advantages 
they would probably very soon outdo us in things even of a 
prac^cal nature, for the natural greatness of their compre- 
hensive mind, with its rigid, systematic, logical training at 
home, at school, in the office — in short, everywhere, would 
cause theory to be combined with practice in a way that the 
world has never known. 

We all know the simplicity of the metric or decimal sys- 
tem as applied to our coinage ; but we do not realize fully this 
simplicity until we visit England ; then we wonder at the Eng- 
lish, who still cling to the antiquated, confusing system of 
pounds, shillings, pence and farthings, for we instinctively 
feel that the school-children, the office-clerks and business men 
in Enc'land all lose much valuable time, which could be used 



40 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

to advantage in other business matters or branches of learn- 
ing, and we are astonished that the EngHshman who has also 
traveled in the United States and Canada has not been willing 
to adopt this simple, practical decimal system. We of course 
say that he is way behind the times, but we merely see the 
mote in his eye and fail from force of habit to feel the beam 
in our own eye, for how tenaciously we hold to our imprac- 
tical, antiquated systems of measures, weights, etc., to the yard, 
foot, inch, bushel, gallon, pint, two kinds of quarts, two kinds 
of pounds, two kinds of ounces, etc. Probably not one of my 
readers remembers how many cubic inches make a bushel or 
a gallon. Then, too, how stubbornly we refused to accept for 
our government documents an improved simplified spelling, 
recommended only a few years ago by our President ; how glad 
some of us were that a law was found which prevented the 
adoption of a new system of spelling, for did it not lie in the 
power of our Congress to enact a new law to replace the old 
one? The present generation was really the unpractical one 
which selfishly did not want to unlearn what once had been 
learned, and so for that reason future generations must keep 
right on stumbling through a system of spelling and pronun- 
ciation to which the word nonsense very properly applies ; and 
hours and hours of valuable time will continue to be sacrificed 
in schools for the purpose of learning these absurdities. Not 
so with the Germans, who in the beginning of the present 
century simplified by law their already simple system of spell' 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 41 

ing and pronunciation, dropping all silent and unnecessary let- 
ters, etc., and immediately introduced the new spelling into 
the schools and school textbooks and offices, even correcting 
the names of the streets by new corner or house signs. The 
change was made and introduced in a quiet, businesslike, thor- 
ough manner, with no grumbling or remonstrances of any 
sort ; it was accepted as a matter of fact, and is now the regular 
order of things, just as a new regulation pertaining to bicycles 
or automobiles would be accepted. In due course of time the 
distinctive German script will probably be a thing of the past, 
as also the distinctive German print, which is being replaced 
more and more by the Latin, our English, form. In all respects 
we see that the words practice and practical mean something 
with the Germans, inasmuch as reason, not sentiment, is back 
of them, and mere habit, which consents to no change, is not 
considered, when the great benefits due to a change are made 
evident. That reason, not prejudice, influences them is clear 
when we note that the metric system, though originally French, 
was nevertheless introduced into Germany in the year 1872, 
only shortly after the war with France, when the feeling 
against France was very intense. 

After the foregoing introduction to Germany and German 
affairs, let us make ourselves familiar with the money, weights, 
etc., which w^re mentioned in the character sketch of Mr, 
Andros. 



42 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

GERMAN MONEY. 

Money is a good soldier, sir, and zvill on. 

— Merry Wives of Windsor: II, 2. 

The mark is the money unit, and is approximately equiva^ 
lent to our quarter, although its real value is $.238. This is 
all we need to learn about German money, for the rest is 
readily remembered. One hundred pfennigs make one mark, 
as w^ith us one hundred cents make one dollar. Hence if we 
wish to reduce dollars to marks we must multiply by four; 
and vice versa, if we have the price of an article given in 
marks, we may divide by four and we shall have the approxi- 
mate equivalent in dollars. Suppose, for example, we are in 
Berlin, the capital of Germany, and in counting over our 
money find that we have $138.50 on hand, and wonder how 
many marks that would be. All we need do is to multiply by 
four and get 554 as the number of marks. Moreover, we have 
a few marks more, for in exchanging we may get from 4.10 
to 4.20 marks for a dollar. On the other hand, suppose we see 
prices marked as 123 marks, 15.50 marks, 80 pfennigs, etc., and 
we ask how that compares with American prices ; we simply 
divide by four, and get $30.75, $3,871/2 and 20 cents as approx- 
imate estimates. With a little practice, and thinking of the 
mark as a quarter of a dollar, these calculations become very 
easy, and are readily understood. 

We find in circulation in Germany the one-pfennig piece 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 43 

and the two-pfennig piece, which are copper ; the five-pfennig 
and ten-pfennig of nickel; the half-mark, mark, two-mark, 
three-mark and five-mark pieces, all of silver, and the ten-mark 
and twenty-mark pieces, which are of gold. Furthermore, we 
find paper money in circulation, viz. : Five, ten, twenty, fifty, 
one hundred and one thousand mark bills. The thaler, now 
written taler, is the name given to three marks; in place of 
the old taler piece, a new three-mark piece was coined and put 
into circulation in the fall of 1908, on which the name taler 
does not occur, another practical move in the right direction, 
for too many names would only complicate the system. We 
occasionally hear old people speak of a groschen, by which 
is meant a ten-pfennig piece, or of a sechser, which means five 
pfennigs, though it gives the impression that six pfennigs are 
meant. The former groschen was worth twelve pfennigs, and 
a sechser was accordingly a half-groschen, or six pfennigs; 
while the word is still heard, its significance has slightly 
changed. 

WEJIGHTS AND ME:aSURKS. 

What, man, I knozv them, yea, 
And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple. 
— Much Ado About Nothing: V, i. 

When the German Empire was organized in 1871 a uni- 
formity of weights and measures was immediately decided 



44 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

upon and a most laudable courtesy was shown to France, the 
conquered country, by adopting in 1872 its own metric system, 
a courtesy on a par with our American act of acquiring the 
Philippine Islands through the fortunes of war and then nobly 
paying for them. 

Unfortunately we have not yet awakened to the value and 
beauty of this metric system, though at several times in our 
history strong efforts have been made to abolish our old, anti- 
quated, systemless systems and take up something new and 
practical ; but we seem still to be in dreamland, and cling tena- 
ciously to the old, as if we appreciated it so highly because 
of the hard painstaking efforts at school in mastering it, or 
else from sheer force of habit, selfishly feeling that what was 
good enough for us is good enough for the next generation. 

The merits of the metric system become very evident after 
a little careful study, for all units are interdependent and the 
decimal scale makes everything so easy to learn. The unit 
is the meter, which is the ten-millionth part of the distance 
from the equator to the pole, equal to 39.37079 inches, and 
everything else depends on or is derived from this. The kilo- 
meter is the unit for measuring distances and is 1,000 meters, 
or about .621 miles in length. Ten meters are called one deka- 
meter, and this squared gives one hundred square meters, which 
is called an are, and is the unit for measuring surfaces ; one 
hundred ares make the hektare, equivalent to about two and 
one-half acres. One-tenth of a meter is the decimeter, about 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 45 

four inches, and one-hundredth of a meter is called the centi- 
meter, and is about four-tenths of an inch in length. The 
unit for measuring liquids and solids is the liter, or one cubic 
decimeter, equivalent to i. 05671 liquid quarts; and the unit 
of weight is the gram, the weight of one cubic centimeter of 
pure water at the maximum density, equivalent to about 
15.432 Troy grains, and my readers of course know what a 
Troy grain is, having learned it years ago at school. One thou- 
sand grams constitute a kilogram, the common unit for weights, 
equivalent to about 2.2046 pounds. As we see, everything 
depends entirely on the meter, and accordingly, all problems 
are simple and easy. 

How different it is with us, where, for example, one pound 
is the weight of 0.0156 cubic feet of water and one quart is 
57% cubic inches, and one bushel is 2150.42 cubic inches — • 
difficult to remember; but years ago we all had to know and 
pass an examination on such figures, or repeat a year at school 
in order, of course, to become better equipped for practical 
life when we got older. The dimensions of a gallon are easily 
remembered, for the 231 cubic inches mean the contents of 
a box whose dimensions are 3 by 7 by 11 inches, which was 
perhaps a thoughtful and merciful consideration on the part 
of the inventor of the gallon. 

It ought not to be necessary to say so much about the 
metric system here, but English and Americans seem to have 
such prejudices against or lack of interest in it that most 



46 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

arithmetics and some encyclopsedias fail to even mention it. 

The countries which have already adopted this system in 
all its details are Germany, Austria-Hungary, Argentina, Bel- 
gium, Brazil, Chile, France, Greece, Holland, Italy, Mexico, 
Norway, Peru, Portugal, Roumania, Servia, Spain, Sweden, 
Switzerland and Venezuela; and China and Japan are soon to 
fall into line. Even from a business point of view we ought to 
adopt it, for our commerce and industries would undoubtedly 
increase very rapidly, and that entirely irrespective of any 
tariff, if we through this metric system, this commercial Vola- 
puk or Esperanto, would and could talk with all these foreign 
countries in a language which their importers and dealers 
would readily understand without the need of comparative 
tables. It would mean dollars and cents to us, and once intro- 
duced we should wonder why we had so long remained totally 
blind to our own interests, when only a little effort was 
required to learn the new system. 

It is rare to find people in Germany now who make use of 
the former terms, and if they do, they really mean the new 
ones, as for example by Elle they mean meter. We might 
also call a meter a yard, for they are almost of the same length, 
as we may also frequently speak of penny when we mean a cent, 
forgetting that since colonial days we have had no pennies. 

Having once familiarized ourselves with the metric sys- 
tem, it is not difficult to determine approximately the values in 
terms better known to us: One liter can be considered the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 47 

size of a quart; and one kilogram is equivalent to two pounds; 
and one kilometer as about five-eighths of a mile, etc. The 
quickest way to reduce kilometers is to consider the equivalence 
to be six-tenths of a mile, and merely multiply the number of 
kilometers by six, discarding the right hand figure; as, for 
example, in our sketch Mr. Andros claimed to have walked 
from Strassburg to Freiburg, ninety kilometers; multiply this 
number by six and drop the right hand figure; we obtain as 
the approximate value fifty-four miles ; again, he wanted to 
go to Basel, which was distant sixty-two kilometers, which 
we find is approximately thirty-seven miles. If in studying 
a time-table we find, for example, the distance from Mannheim 
to Basel entered as 272 kilometers, which is perhaps mean- 
ingless to us, we can at a glance see that by multiplying by six 
and dividing by ten it means approximately 163 miles; and 
from Basel to Constance, 145 kilometers, are eighty-seven 
miles, an estimate sufficiently accurate for all general purposes. 
With a little practice these changes can be made mentally 
without the aid of paper or pencil, and then these terms will 
become real and full of significance to the traveler or party oth- 
erwise interested. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 49 



MR. BARTON. 

TH^ FORGOTTEN MAN ; 

OR, 

AN INHERITANCE REGAINED. 

There is a divinity that shapes our ends, 
Rough-hew them hozv zue will. — Hamlet : V, 2. 

In every city and town in America may be found European 
emigrants who, although they have friends and relatives at 
home, have lost track of them. Possibly one letter was lost in 
transit, and so did not bring an answer, therefore no other 
letter was ever written. I have had worrying parents come to 
me because for many years they had not received word from 
their beloved son in America. Registered letters and money- 
orders were not returned by the post office as non-deliverable, 
but no reply was ever received. An investigation frequently 
brought forth the information that the party in America was 
living and in perfect health, but — did not have the time to 
write — "out of eye, out of mind." 

So it was in the case of Mr. Barton. He traveled to Amer- 
ica, settling in Pennsylvania, and forgot his friends at home, 
to wdiom perhaps he was never much attached, and they lost 



50 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

track of him or pretended to. I say pretended to, for while 
they claimed that his address was not known, he on the other 
hand, stated that he had occasionally written letters, and was 
sure that they did know his address or could easily have ascer- 
tained his whereabouts. In course of time his parents died, 
and there was a little inheritance of not quite a thousand dol- 
lars due him, which was deposited in a local bank in his name, 
awaiting his call or order. 

His relatives never lost sight of this amount, however, but 
impatiently awaited the time until the law declared him dead, 
namely, ten years, at the expiration of which Mr. Barton was 
duly declared deceased by the court and the money was then 
distributed among the remainder of the heirs. Mr. Barton 
later claimed that he had received notice of the intention of 
the relatives and had written a letter to a prominent party of 
the town begging him to let the money remain where it was, 
as he did not wish to have it withdrawn by his relatives, etc., 
etc. As no reply had been forthcoming, Mr. Barton consulted 
a lawyer, who sent the necessary documents to me, with instruc- 
tions to investigate the matter. This was promptly done, and 
the request was made by registered letter to each of the parties 
who had received money — the amounts received and the names 
of the parties having first been ascertained from the proper 
authorities — to return such moneys. 

Then came the interesting part of the story. The one 
who had received the greatest amount, about $500, never 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 51 

replied, though several letters had been mailed to her. The 
reason that she had received more than others was due to the 
fact that she was a full sister of Mr. Barton, while the others 
were half-brothers and sisters. The fact that she received 
more had caused some dissension, some feelings of jealousy 
and envy, and it was extremely interesting to note that the 
others were perfectly willing to return their amounts, if for 
no other reason than the satisfaction of seeing the lion's share 
returned by the other sister. 

Before any legal action had been taken in the matter, a 
new party appeared on the scene who had heard that there was 
a request for the return of the money. This was the oldest 
sister, who was not a legitimate child, for which reason the 
law did not allow her any share of the money. She had a 
wicked satisfaction and pleasure in the thought that she who 
had been forced to be contented with nothing could now rejoice 
in seeing the others whom fate had treated so finely meet 
with disappointment. She especially rejoiced that the sister 
who had received the lion's share, and who had probably 
treated her with all manner of disrespect and insults, should 
now be obliged to pay out her $500. It was a special delight 
to her to warn me that the husband of that sister had the $500 
deposited in a bank, but would certainly spend it all quickly 
if he should learn from his wife that the demand for it had 
been made. 

By placing the whole matter in the hands of a reliably 



52 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

German attorney the money was saved for Mr. Barton. I 
say saved for him, and yet that was not the case for Mr. 
Barton, who had been sick when he first sent the power of 
attorney, did not hve to see the end of the matter, but his poor 
widow was very thankful and pleased that in her time of trou- 
ble the money due her husband was paid to her. 

GERMAN EMIGRATION. 

And whether zve shall meet again, I knozv not, 
Therefore an everlasting fareivell take. 

— ^Julius Caesar: V, i. 

My readers will probably remember from their studies in 
history that, after America was discovered and it was known 
that land could be reached by sailing westward from Europe, 
there was a scramble among the nations for new territory and 
new colonies; the Spaniards, the Portuguese, the English, the 
French and also the Dutch and the Swedes, all made their expe- 
ditions for exploration or for settlement. But have we ever 
thought of asking where the Germans were in those days, for 
our American history makes no mention of them as interested 
in this rush and race to the new world; did we ever stop to 
think why they stayed at home at such an important time, 
letting all other nations get ahead of them? To say that 
international intercourse was not then what it is to-day and 
that perhaps they were not aware of th^se discoveries is not 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 53 

reasonable. It is even claimed that a German teacher at St. 
Die, France, in the Vosges Mountains, a Mr. Mliller, who had 
been a student at the Freiburg University, was the first to 
give America its name. All important news pertaining to 
discovery and colonization in America had certainly reached 
Germany, and yet there were no German colonies. 

But there were several good reasons why the German states 
did not take part in these new-world affairs in the sixteenth 
and seventeenth centuries : First, the Germans were at that 
time no seafaring nation, they had no ships and no desire to 
take upon themselves such new responsibilities; and another 
far more important reason was because of the internal trou- 
bles, for it was in the early part of the sixteenth century, soon 
after the discovery of America, that that great historical move- 
ment, the Reformation, occurred, and such great events do 
not take place suddenly, coming like an unexpected comet, but 
are always preceded and followed by years of turmoil and 
strife. 

We Americans can understand this if we think of our 
own Civil War, the seed of which was planted in 161 9-1 620, 
when the first cargo of slaves was brought to the Virginia 
Colony. The slave question quite naturally became a national 
affair and continued throughout our history from the time of 
the framing of our Constitution, in which the slaves are 
referred to as ''other persons," for there was strong opposi- 
tion manifested towards even the use of the words daves and 



54 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

slavery. The halls of Congress became the scene and seat 
of many an unpleasant debate until the terrible Civil War, with 
the Emancipation Proclamation brought the trouble to a climax 
and settled one phase of the vexed question for all time. 

So it was with Germany; for religious internal troubles 
had kept her at a high fever-heat for generations before and 
after the Reformation and prevented that vigorous, enthusi- 
astic interest towards expansion which was felt in Spain, 
Portugal, France and England. We know from history that 
John Huss, a reformer, was burned at the stake as a heretic 
at Constance, in Southern Germany, in 141 5; a small monu- 
ment with suitable inscription marks the spot to-day; and we 
also know that Martin Luther appeared before the Diet at 
Worms in 1521, and we also learn that the Peace of West- 
phalia was signed in 1648, at the close of the Thirty Years' 
religious war. During these several centuries Germany prob- 
ably and undoubtedly had so much internal strife to contend 
against, that any question of expansion and development was 
not even thought of. 

Although Germany as a nation was so unfortunately handi- 
capped in those days, her subjects in due course of time learned 
about these new lands, and because of religious persecution at 
home, as with the early English and French settlers, or because 
of a spirit of adventure they emigrated in great numbers, most 
of them never to return. They seemed to realize that they 
had newer and better advantages, and therefore became citi- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. ^^ 

zens in the new country, and their children, knowing only this 
one country, quite naturally never thought of emigrating back 
to Europe. Every year thousands and thousands of emi- 
grants have been arriving in America from Germany, a seri- 
ous loss to that country, even in a financial way, for many 
of these are of full age, and the responsibility and expense 
of training, educating and developing them had fallen to the 
lot of Germany, while now as full-grown men and women 
they were of no value to their native country, but of so much 
greater value to their adopted land. Germany has never sent 
us any really ignorant emigrants, for she has always looked 
out for the education and normal development of her subjects, 
even in the days before the present laws pertaining to com- 
pulsory education had been enacted. 

It is a matter of record that the first German settler in 
America was Francis Daniel Pastorius, who arrived in Phila- 
delphia on August 1 6, 1683, within a year after the arrival 
of William Penn. A few months later, on October 6, 1683, a 
small company of emigrants from Crefeld, in Prussia, landed 
in Penn's colony, and soon thereafter a conveyance of 25,000 
acres of land was made to several of these settlers, and Ger- 
mantown, now a part of Philadelphia, was founded, and" 
became the Mecca of many other emigrants. The descendants 
of these early settlers are the so-called ''Pennsylvania Dutch" 
of to-day, and the language which they speak is a peculiar 
mixture of German and English. 



5^6 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

7'bis emigration to Pennsylvania was due almost entirely 
to i;he great efforts of William Penn, who desired settlers in his 
colony, and who realized that he could not hope for many new- 
^ omers from England because of the many other English col- 
onies; and because of religious prejudice against him and his 
followers. As Penn's mother was a Dutch woman, it is very 
likely that he understood both Dutch and German; at any rate 
h(. became acquainted with these nations by visiting their coun- 
Iries in 1 67 1 and again in 1677, and after he had received the 
grant of land from the King of England he sent many a 
message to his friends in Germany and awakened an interest 
there. He advertised his colony throughout Europe very 
extensively, and as he made no efforts to deceive by misrep- 
resenting the circumstances and affairs of his colony, there was 
every reason to believe that the new arrivals in Philadelphia 
were well informed. In the year 1702 there was published 
at Frankfort and at Leipsic an interesting book full of practi- 
cal information pertaining to Pennsylvania, entitled, *'Ealck- 
ner's Curieuse Nachricht von Pensylvania," which caused many 
to leave their homes for the new country. This book contained 
103 questions, with accurate answers, about the colony and 
the Indians, the language, customs, laws, religion, farming, 
fishing, mining, etc., and was certainly very widely circulated. 
Not many years later in 1709, the first great wave of emigra- 
tion from Germany to America started, in great part due to 
the reliable data contained in this work; a second great wav^ 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 57 

started in the year 1764. It has been estimated that in the year 
1 750 there was a German population in Pennsylvania of 47,000, 
and that, of the 434,373 inhabitants of that State at the time 
of the first census of 1790, fully one-third, or 144,791, were of 
German descent. 

Even to the present day there are many emigrants from 
Germany to America, and it is almost impossible to find a 
family in that great empire which has not friends or relatives 
in America, so great has been the emigration during the past 
century. 

It was not until the year 1884, soon after the founding of 
the empire, that Germany fully awakened to a belief and faith 
in colonies of her own, and since then it quite naturally is her 
wish to have the emigrants settle in her African possessions. 
Germany did not want to lose her desirable subjects and prob- 
ably looked with eyes of envy on America, which was gaining 
immensely through her loss; for were we not getting those 
citizens whom she for twenty or more years had been faith- 
fully training and educating for her own special services? 
With her usual characteristic determination and thoroughness 
Germany accomplished her object in putting a great check on 
such wholesale emigration to foreign countries, at least of her 
better classes, and gained the desired end in an admirable and 
most diplomatic way, without passing any laws which would 
make the people discontented, and without depriving any sub- 
ject of the privilege of going if he so wished; for, although 



58 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

the better classes can do as they please about emigratuig, It 
has been made more advantageous to them to live and to die 
at home. 

By appropriate legislation the condition of the government 
official, the professor, the teacher, the railroad employee, the 
post office employee and others has been so improved that 
none of these would venture after two birds in the bush if they 
have to sacrifice the one bird already secure in their hands. 
While the salaries of teachers and others are not high, yet all 
these persons in positions feel sure of their places, for they 
cannot be removed without cause. If sick they get their pay; 
if through age or accident they are rendered incapable of 
performing their respective duties, they are retired and receive 
a pension for the rest of their days, and should death overtake 
them the widows and young children receive pensions. For 
any one of these government employees to emigrate to xA.mer- 
ica is too great a personal risk, for he would lose all of these 
certainties in Germany in the hope of an uncertainty in 
America; and it requires unusual bravery to run such chances, 
especially if the party is a married man with family. In this 
thorough manner Bismarck succeeded most excellently in keep- 
ing the better class of Germans permanently at home. 

From the annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 
1909, with which the Honorable Commissioner-General of 
Immigration has kindly favored me I learn that previous to 
I1820 no immigration statistics were collected, but it is esti- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 59 

mated that from 1776 to 1820 there were 250,000 immigrants 
from all countries to the United States. 

During the ninety years which ended June 30, 1909, v/e 
received 26,852,723 immigrants, namely from: 

United Kingdom (Great Bri- 
tain and Ireland) 7,667,400 or 29% 

Germany 5,320,312 " 20% 

Scandinavia (Denmark, Nor- 
way, Sweden) 1,896,139 " 7% 

Italy 2,870,824 " 11% 

Austria-Hungary 2,913,721 " 11% 

Russia 2,204,408 " 8% 

France 463,471 " 2% 

Switzerland 233,868 " i % 

Netherlands 168,395 " 

China 288,398 " 

Japan 151,883 " 

Countries not specified 2,673,904 " 10% 

The total immigration from all countries and the number 

from Germany during each of these eighty-nine years are as 

follows : 

Immigration Total Immigration 

from Germany. from All Countries. 

1820 968 8,385 

1821 383 9,127 



6o Faces and Phases of German Life. 

Immigration Total Immigration 

from Germany. from All Countries. 

i 1822 148 6,91 1 

1823 183 .. 6,354 

1824 230 7^912 

1825 450 10,199 

1826 511 10,837 

1827 432 18,875 

1828 1,851 27,382 

1829 597 22,520 

1830 1,976 23,322 

183I 2,413 22,6SS 

1832 10,194 60,482 

1833 6,988 58,640 

1834 17.686 65,365 

1835 8,311 45.374 

1836 20,707 76,242 

1837 23,740 79.340 

1838 11,683 38,914 

1839 21,028 68,069 

1840 29,704 84,066 

184I 15,291 80,289 

1842 20,370 104,565 

1843 14,441 52,496 

1844 20,731 78,615 

1845 34,355 114,371 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 61 

Immigration Total Immigration 

from Germany. from All Countries. 

1846 57,561 154,416 

1847 74,281 234,968 

1848 58,465 226,527 

1849 60,235 297,024 

1850 78,896 369,980 

1851 72,482 379466 

1852 145,918 = . 371^603 

1853 141,946 368,645 

1854 215,009 427,833 

1855 7i'9i8 200,877 

1856 71,028 195,857 

1857 39'302 112,123 

1858 69,586 191,942 

1859 46,635 129,571 

i860 43,946 133,143 

1861 52,116 142,877 

1862 23,811 y^^T^^s 

1863 29,741 132,925 

1864 41,155 191,114 

1865 58,153 180,339 

1866 120,218 33^^577 

1867 124,076 303,104 

1868 i22,6yy 282,189 

1869 131,042 352,768 



62 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

Immigration Total Immigration 

from Germany. from All Countries. 

1870 118,225.. 387^203 

1871 82,554 321,350 

1872 141,109 404,806 

1873 149^671 459^803 

1874 87,291 313.339 

1875 47769... 227,498 

1876 31.937 169,986 

1877 29,298 141.857 

1878 29,313 138,469 

1879. 34,602 177,826 

1880 84,638 457.257 

1881 210,485 669,431 

1882 250,630 788,992 

1883 194.786 603,322 

1884 179.676 518,592 

1885 124,413 395.346 

1886 84,403 334.203 

1887 106,865 490,109 

1888 109,717 546,889 

1889 99.538 444.427 

1890 92,427 455.302 

1891 113.554 560,319 

1892 ii9,i68 579.663 

1893 78,756 439.730 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 63 

Immigration Total Immigration 

from Germany. from All Countries. 

1894 53.989 285,631 

1895 32,173 258,536 

1896 31,885 zAza^y 

1897 22,533 230,832 

1898 17,111 229,299 

1899 17476 311715 

1900- • 18,507 448,572 

1901 21,651 487,918 

1902 28,304 648,743 

1903 40,086 875,046 

1904 46,380 812,870 

1905 40,574 1,026,499 

1906 37.564 1,100,735 

1907 37.807 1,285,349 

1908 32,309 782,870 

1909 25,540 751786 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 65 



MR. CAROL. 

AN AGED SINNER. 

Part I. 

I 

You see me here, you gods, a poor old man, 
As fidl of grief as age; zvretched in both. 

— King Lear : II, 4. 

Several years ago I received a call in my office from an 
elderly gentleman, who seemed hardly able to walk alone, 
accompanied by a younger woman. The man claimed to be 
an American, which he was. He had been living at a 
little tavern kept by the woman's husband, had done odd 
chores about the house, had taken care of the children, etc., 
but had nevertheless cost them more than his services amounted 
to, and now it was his desire to obtain some of the money 
which he claimed to have in American banks, so that he could 
not only pay back what he owed, but also give them an extra 
amount for all the kindness which had been shown him. To 
have me take a still greater interest in the case this aged man 
even mentioned that he knew intimate friends of mine in 
America, and the places where his money was on deposit were 



66 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

cities, banks, etc., well known to me, so that there seemed 
to be every reason to put full faith in his stories. A proper 
request for the money was written and with great difficulty 
signed by the man; an immediate demand was made on the 
bank in America in which he claimed to have a deposit, but 
unfortunately for him that deposit did not exist outside of 
his own perverted mind, for so I will call it, never having been 
able to ascertain whether it was a wicked perversion, a deprav- 
ity, or a fantastic illusion. The bank in due course of time 
informed me that the name of Mr. Carol did not occur on 
their books, nor was there any bank-book in his name on their 
files; and the other bank in which he claimed to have money 
had no account in his name; nor did any of the other savings 
banks in two cities where investigation was made. Mr. Carol 
was informed of all this, but he never made reply. 

The young woman, anxious to get some compensation 
for her attentions to this man, brought me the address of his 
daughter, which she had found in his room. I corresponded 
with her, and received a money order for her father, while 
her husband informed me that his father-in-law, Mr. Carol, 
had been leading a very irregular life, had late in life deserted 
his wife, and had for several years been roaming about in 
parts unknown to them, until the receipt of my letters. To 
all of these matters Mr. Carol, whom I called on to person- 
ally deliver the money received from his daughter, seemed too 
sick to respond or give any particulars. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 67 

Meanwhile he had appeared before a notary and made out 
a last testament at an expense of five dollars, bequeathing 
8,000 marks, or about $2,000, to this young woman for all 
the kindness he had received from her family, while the rest 
of his property he gave to his daughter. The son-in-law had, 
however, plainly stated that the man owned no property of 
any sort whatsoever, so that all his actions were impositions. 
The people, kindhearted and true to him, supported him to 
his death, even paying a small amount monthly for a sick 
benefit fund, so that when he died he could be decently buried. 
Soon after the visit his death did occur, and among his effects 
was found a small note-book containing several addresses 
and the names of four or five Masonic and other lodges and 
benefit associations in America. To accommodate this woman 
and learn if there was any truth to the many statements Mr. 
Carol had made to her, I corresponded with several individ- 
uals whose names were in the note-book, some of whom were 
personally known to me, but not a good word could be learned 
from any about this man. While he had been a member of 
various lodges, as his book indicated, he had been suspended 
from all because of irregularities in conduct and habits of 
life. 



68 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

Part 11. 

Before him 
He carries noise and behind him he leaves tears. 

— Coriolanus: II, i. 

This man died cared for to the end, but leaving nothing 
behind for the poor people whom he had so long deceived. 
It was an interesting feature of the case to receive some weeks 
later a letter from the deserted wife, who had learned of his 
death through the newspapers, requesting if possible that some 
of his worldly goods be sold so that she could get back some 
of the money, which he had taken from her at the time of 
desertion; but the poor woman when informed of the state 
of affairs in Europe and the impositions he had practised 
upon the family which had cared for him to the end, made no 
further requests, nor did she take enough interest in him to 
reimburse the family for the moneys they had expended upon 
her worthless husband. 

The translation of the important last will and testament, 
changing, however, any names or places, reads as follows : 
"In case of my decease Amelia, nee Jackson, wife of Mr. Jones, 
tavern keeper, shall receive for the great care bestowed upon 
me up to this time the sum of 8,000 marks from my estate. 
All the rest of my property shall go to my daughter Martha, 
nee Carol, wife of Mr. Markus, in the city of Birmingham, 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 69 

America." The witnesses who signed this paper were the 
secretary and the messenger of the court; the document was 
in every way in perfect order, but it was never probated, 
because of the fact that there was no property left, nothing 
but debts. 

To show how this man carried on his deception even to 
the utmost, a letter was brought to me, which was found 
among his effects written from America on February 23, 1905, 
and which had been shown by him to the people who were 
caring for him, to strengthen their belief in the fact that he 
had enough property at his disposal to leave them the promised 
$2,000, as also to give them to understand the reason why 
my inquiries at the banks did not disclose any money or bank- 
books in his name. This letter is, in the face of the facts, 
very interesting in disclosing the real character, the inner man, 
as it were, and a translation of it is herewith presented, it 
being understood that in every case the names, whether of par- 
ties or individuals, are not the correct ones : 

''Chicago, February 23d, 1905. 
"My Dear Esteemed George — When you, about two 
and a half years ago, sent me a power of attorney, with the 
request that I pay a little attention to your affairs, it was 
very good that you did so, otherwise you would have very 
little money left in the Illinois Savings Bank, for your son- 
in-law and daughter are living in great style and your daughter 



70 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

has used up $500. When I learned that fact I went to the 
banks and procured the books and put them into my own safe. 
If, now, your daughter ever wishes any money, she must 
come to me first. When last April a copy of the testament 
which you had made in Germany w^as sent by the police depart- 
ment of your town to the court of probate here, your son- 
in-law and daughter were summoned to appear. The judge 
asked them whether they had any objection to the same; they 
answered no, that you could do with your money exactly as 
you wished, whereupon they were dismissed. However, 
according to the laws of registration here, no money which 
is bequeathed in a testament can remain in a private bank, so 
the judge appointed another person, Mr. James Smith, who 
went with me and procured the $2,000 and placed it upon a 
first mortgage. 

''Now, dear friend George, if anything human were to 
happen to you or you forever close your eyes, then this Amelia 
Jones, nee Jackson, must immediately send to the following 
address the death certificate signed by the doctor and authen- 
ticated by the mayoralty, with also the signature of Amelia 
Jones attached: Honorable Court of Probate, Room 2, City 
Hall, Chicago, Illinois, America. As soon as the death certifi- 
cate is received, then the $2,000 will be sent by means of 
a draft to Germany to Amelia Jones, nee Jackson. 

"When this matter was properly attended to the judge 
said that it would be better if the money, which is in St. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 71 

Louis, were also brought to Chicago. Then John Sampson 
was appointed administrator. We went and procured the 
money and also placed this on a mortgage. When your friend 
wrote here to the bank in the month of June they wrote him 
that the money had already been taken away, and after that 
your friend wrote to your son-in-law that you were sick and 
needed money. Then your daughter came and showed me 
the letter, whereupon I gave her 100 marks., Now, your son- 
in-law and daughter are to receive the interest on this money, 
and they are to send you from time to time so and so much ; 
if, however, this money is delivered to the people where you 
are staying, then write to me every time how much you receive 
of it, for the testament says distinctly that these 8,000 marks 
are for board and nursing. If you should, at any time, be 
obliged to change anything in the testament, then you can 
write it and send it here, and we will have it noted by the judge 
at the probate court, which would be better than to have it 
done before a German notary; besides, you would save 
expenses. 

''Dear George, now I will close, and remain your upright 
friend, Louis Lantern." 

After the good people had let me read this letter I took 
occasion to correspond with several parties whose names were 
mentioned in the same; all of them actually existed, no ficti- 
tious names were used, and all of them most courteously 



72 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

responded; but there was not one other word of truth to any 
of the statements made in the letter. It was a case of imposi- 
tion from beginning to end, and if the letter is more closely 
studied it will be seen that not only did he through this letter 
inform the people why there was no money found in the banks 
in his name, but there is also seen the fear that his daughter 
might send money to him which the people might get and not 
turn over to him. It was certainly very cleverly thought out 
by a decrepit old man who could hardly hold up his head. 

The daughter had sent money to him occasionally and the 
one hundred marks referred to in his letter was the money 
which had been sent to me for him. The supposed signer 
of this letter disowned the letter in tofo; he had written no 
letter like that to Mr. Carol and moreover, a close comparison 
with other letters showed quite plainly that it must have been 
written by the old man himself, thus showing a course of decep- 
tion and trickery even to the last days of his life. And a 
good, kindhearted couple, who took pity on the feeble man 
from a feeling of humanity and not from a desire for gain, 
but who were, nevertheless, pleased to know that they were 
to be remembered in his testament so bountifully, have to suffer 
heavy losses and feel that it was a lesson which cost them 
dear, but possibly may be cheap in the end, inasmuch as they 
will be careful in the future. 

This case of Mr. Carol was certainly a very interesting 
study, for though aged and decrepit, he nevertheless to the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 73 

end knew how to deceive. While a study of the motives of 
this man was very interesting, there was nothing to be learned 
or gained for personal or self -improvement, and we can feel, 
as in the case of Mr. Andros, that if in his early school life 
he had received a special character-development course, Mr. 
Carol might have lived and died an honest and honorable 
man. 

THE GERMAN NOTARY. 

It doth appear, you are a zvorthy judge; 
You know the law, your exposition 
Hath been most sound. 

— Merchant of Venice : IV, i. 

In the foregoing sketch mention was made of the German 
notary before whom Mr. Carol appeared to sign his last will 
and testament and have his signature thereto authenticated; 
so let us study concerning the office of this important official, 
whose work is more intricate and extensive than we in Amer- 
ica realize, for the authentication of signatures is but an 
insignificant part of his duties. The German notary is really 
the Judge of Probate, and his ''Notariat," or notarial office, 
the court of probate. The cities are divided into notarial 
districts, each under the supervision of a notary, and like- 
wise the towns and villages are grouped together into notarial 
districts, and the respective notaries make regular weekly visits 



74 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

to their territory to accommodate their constituents who may 
have notarial work to be attended to; but their chief office 
is always in the cities or larger towns. 

When a person, either native or foreigner, dies in Ger- 
many, a report of his death must be made immediately to 
the proper registrar of vital statistics, which is generally done 
by some member of the family; but if the death is by accident, 
then the report must be made by the state attorney, whose 
signature indicates that the state has decided or will decide 
on the question of accident or crime. Immediately after the 
death, even before the burial oftentimes, certain official 
appraisers call at the late residence of the deceased to take 
inventory of the effects, provided any property has been left. 
These parties are simply performing a duty which is pre- 
scribed by law and becomes to them a matter of routine 
business ; so it is perfectly clear that there is a lack of the fine 
sympathetic feeling which the widow or family craves in 
such times of bereavement and mental depression, when there 
is no desire to enter into any business talk or search after 
papers demanded, etc., but a wish to be left entirely alone. 
Because of all these sad circumstances and the official nature 
of their business, these appraisers, even when they are in fact 
very kind, obliging and considerate, appear to the people hard, 
unkind and unsympathetic, and foreigners frequently request 
their consul to be present when the officials are expected, feel- 
ing that the consul's presence will check any over-officiousness. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 75 

This presence of the consul the authorities gladly permit, for 
they are pleased to accommodate the strangers in their land. 

This inventory of the effects of the deceased is handed 
to the notary, who, as soon as convenient, sends notices to all 
heirs and others concerned, making an appointment at his 
office at which the preliminary matters are attended to, the 
amount and nature of the inheritance spoken of, and also 
the official documents demanded, which are required from each 
heir ; namely, the birth certificate, the marriage certificate, the 
death certificate of parents, etc. — in the case of foreign cer- 
tificates with the authentication of the Imperial German con- 
sul. From time to time other conferences are appointed, and 
when everything is regulated and in satisfactory condition the 
heirs receive their respective shares; in the case of foreign- 
ers who have died in Germany, the distribution, etc., being 
made according to the laws of their home states. If, however, 
disagreements and troubles arise between the heirs, lawsuits 
may follow, which the courts and not the notary will have 
to decide. When these matters are settled all records, min- 
utes of the proceedings, certificates, etc., are carefully strung 
together and preserved for future reference, first at tlie 
notary's office and later in the court archives. 

The fees to be charged or deducted are all prescribed and 
fixed by law, and while the separate fees may not be large, 
the aggregate of fees is sometimes very great. The fees as 
a rule are not paid directly to the notary, but are later col- 



76 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

lected by some other branch of the government, the notary's 
duty being to calculate and fix the amount. As an instance, 
take a case of ordinary authentication of signature, the fee 
of which is one mark. If the party is a tourist or transient 
the notary may collect, but if the person is a resident of the 
city his address is taken, while the one mark, even if offered, 
will not be accepted; some five or six weeks' later, when the 
whole matter of signature has perhaps left the person's mind, 
an official leaves at his residence a small slip of paper con- 
taining the statement of his indebtedness of one mark for 
authentication of signature in the preceding month, which 
money must be paid within two weeks at a certain one of the 
several branches of the tax department. If not paid within 
the stated time a new notice, a reminder, is brought by another 
official, for which 20 pfennigs must be paid immediately, this 
being a fee which goes into his pocket and constitutes his 
earnings; for this official '^'eminder" gets no wages or sal- 
ary and of course no sick-benefit fund or pension when he 
gets too old to remind people of their shortcomings. If this 
official desires another 20-pfennig tip, he will have the courtesy, 
after a few days, to remind the delinquent party a second 
time, and if the desired result is not obtained, another official 
will call, not to remind, but to attach personal property, which 
will in a few days be called for and sold to the highest bidder, 
and the one mark due will at last be paid. In this thorough 
and determined manner, an apparently unfeeling and unsym- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 77 

pathetic way, the dues and fees, whether for notarial ser- 
vices, court matters, taxes, etc., are collected. Leniency and 
consideration are shown in deserving cases upon request, for 
the higher authorities have it in their power to defer the pay- 
ments of dues within certain limits; but the people at large 
meet the lower officials, who, acting under orders from above, 
must do their duty and can only refer parties to their superi- 
ors; hence they may at times give the impression of being 
inconsiderate, discourteous, perhaps even impudent, when at 
heart they may be full of sympathy. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 79 



CASE OF MR. DARDANElvLES. 

THI5 FRENCH PROFESSOR. 

/ have touched the highest point of all my greatness; 

And, from that full meridian of my glory, 

I haste now to my setting. — ^Henry VIII : III, 2. 

Part I. 

Here we find a highly interesting character-study, combined 
with a sketch of family life bordering on the tragic. About 
seven or eight years ago a family moved to Freiburg from 
Paris, a French family, intending to make Germany their 
home, to teach their native language, French, in this univer- 
sity town, and also to take boarders or boarding pupils, who 
came from France to spend a year or two in Germany and 
receive at the same time instruction in their native tongue. 
The gentleman, whom we will call Professor Dardanelles, was 
a highly intelligent individual ; his advertisement had appeared 
often in the city papers as professor of the French language, 
but my first acquaintance with him dates back to the time 



8o Faces and Phases of German Life. 

when courses of six lectures in French were given by him 
to a very large and highly appreciative audience, which 
included a great many of the city teachers. The lecturer was 
a well-read man of good scholarly attainments, who thor- 
oughly knew and understood the subject-matter and was able 
to instruct his hearers in most excellent French. 

Later on I became more intimately acquainted with this 
gentleman and his family through taking French lessons, while 
other members of my family took lessons from his wife. His 
wife can be described as a frail, active, sharp-featured woman, 
mentally inclined; he, on the contrary, was a very pompous 
individual, of stout build, strong physically, with a full round 
face. He was quick and active in his ways, apt to be a little 
impetuous and hot-headed at times and to speak very rap- 
idly; and, as I can believe, if aroused would speak with great 
force also ; but I never saw anything out of the way as far as 
he was concerned. I found him diligent, faithful, and a hard, 
willing worker. 

His work in Freiburg was meeting with great success; he 
had a great many pupils, some of the best and most aristocratic 
families of the city patronizing him, and his wife was help- 
ful in giving lessons ; private pupils from France were board- 
ing at his house and were being fitted for French universities, 
and occasionally a course of lectures in French brought him 
also considerable income, so that for a few years the family 
must have been very prosperous indeed. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 8l 

But unfortunately a climax came to that prosperity. One 
day the newspapers gave the information of a shooting affray 
at his place, considered accidental, but the gentleman. Pro- 
fessor Dardanelles, had received a bullet wound in the ridit 

, thigh and was lying at the hospital; and the wife, to justify 
her conduct, related her story, namely, that her husband had 
repeatedly been cruel to her and that she had been afraid of 
him and for some time past had carried a revolver in her 
pocket to protect herself. Where she kept it to have it ready 

' at a moment's notice is more than can be told here, for I 
remember distinctly when paying her for lessons one time, 
her outer skirt, in true French style, had no pocket, and it was 
necessary for her to fumble around for a considerable length 
of time before the pocket in the inner skirt could be found 
and the purse brought forth. The wife claimed that her 

* husband was brutal to her on this occasion — the day of the 
shooting — and in the presence of her mother and eldest of 
her three daughters she brought out the revolver and pointed 
it at him. He, in self-defense, tried to hold her arm, and 
she claimed that the weapon was discharged accidentally, with 

* the result as stated. To justify her stand she also declared 
that her husband was a very strong drinker and had poured 
into his mouth all of the large dowry which she had brought 
to her marriage, and that he had ceased to take any interest 
in his lessons, so that things had been going downhill in the 
family. She also stated that she had not reported any brutal 



82 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

treatment by him to the poHce, for she claimed to have heard 
that the poHce would not interfere in the case of foreigners. 

This was a false idea, as the German police will certainly 
interfere to prevent crime, no matter what the nationality of 
those concerned may be. So it is possible that her claim might 
have been based on her national hatred or suspicion of the 
Germans. The facts in the case were told me by Mrs. Darda- 
nelles herself, for she came to me to get a certificate or testi- 
monial from me as to her ability as a teacher of French, and 
she explained in full her side of the family tragedy which had 
taken place. She soon thereafter packed up the furniture and 
left the city, leaving her husband in the hospital. Before her 
departure from the city, soon after the shooting, some of the 
local police were commissioned to call upon me to ascertain 
what light I could throw upon the matter and also to ascer- 
tain if possible upon what her claim could have been based 
that the police would not interfere in any family trouble, 
because she was a foreigner. 

A few weeks later a letter was received from the hus- 
band. Professor Dardanelles, and I visited him in the hospi- 
tal and heard his side of the story, which was to the effect 
that his wife was the guilty one in the trouble, that she had 
been squandering all the money which he was earning, and 
that he had lately had young men boarders, with whom, accord- 
ing to his view, she was too intimate. And especially did 
trouble arise in the family when, about two years previously, 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 83 

his wife's mother had become a member of it; there had been 
never-ceasing friction ever since her mother's arrival. Soon 
after he was able to leave the hospital, but he found nothing 
left of his furniture; his home had been cleared out, and he 
was obliged to rent a room for himself and, if possible, again 
get pupils. vSome of his patrons called upon me to learn the 
particulars of the affair, wondering whether they should send 
their children to him for further instruction, not knowing but 
that he was responsible for the shooting; some probably kept 
away from him because of this family tragedy. Seeing him, 
a strong, powerful man, and the wife, a delicate, frail woman, 
and knowing no other particulars in the case, any one would 
be likely to think of Mr. Dardanelles as responsible for the 
troubles, even if he was not. So it was very hard for him to 
obtain pupils, and though his advertisements appeared now and 
then in the city papers, they brought him few replies, for 
it seemed that the zenith of prosperity and welfare in that 
family had been reached, and that now that they were sep- 
arated they were doomed in all probability to unhappiness and 
to a rapid decline. 



84 Faces and Phases of German Life, 



Part 11. 

Woe, destruction, ruin and decay, 

The zvorst is death, and death zvill have his day. 

Richard II : III, 2. 

For a long time I did not see this gentleman, when a letter 
was received from him, in which his troubles were recited 
once more; it had been hard for him to get pupils, and his 
room-rent had to be paid, and he was in arrears ; other expenses 
had to be met, and where could he get the necessary money? 
He had removed to a new location, but had left his books as 
security, and now, as he could not pay the rent that was still 
due, his books were to be sold at auction; the authorities had 
even appointed the day for the auction and had officially noti- 
fied him. The books were his stock in trade; he could not 
replace them without the expenditure of a considerable amount 
of money; and if he ever became prosperous again he would 
need them; his wish was that I should help him in this trou- 
ble and dilemma by paying the rent due and keeping his books 
as security. To a man knowing all the ins and outs of the 
family as I learned them after the unfortunate shooting affair, 
knowing that he had been in the hospital and that he had 
suffered through no fault of his own, it was a hard thing 
to refuse, even if there was no guarantee of an early re- 
turn of the money. Finally I thought of a plan by which 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 85 

the man might help himself. I had never believed that he 
was addicted to the use of stimulants; but upon hearing 
his wife's story I came to the conclusion that he probably drank 
beer and wine and attended banquets, where he enjoyed 
the liquors usually found there. Being of a quick, impulsive 
nature, intoxicants perhaps affected him and made him brutal ; 
so that if I now induced him to abstain, I should not only 
enable him to keep his manhood, but also to save what would 
otherwise be foolishly spent. 

After a few letters and a call from him it was distinctly 
told him and a contract was made in writing, signed by him, 
that the help would be given him in this trouble — that is, the 
responsibility of the payment of the bills of his former land- 
lord would be assumed by me, only on one condition, namely, 
that until the money be in full paid back to me I should expect 
him to abstain in toto from beer, wine and other alcoholic 
liquors; and if for any reason whatsoever, on the invitation of 
a friend or because of an uncontrolled or uncontrollable appe- 
tite he were to break this contract, a penalty will be demanded 
in the form of a payment of a forfeit of fifty pfennigs (about 
twelve cents) for each glass of beer or wine, etc., taken, such 
amount to be paid to any charitable organization in the city. 
The money due the landlord was then paid by me, and the 
books — several boxes of them — were obtained and held as 
security, and are even now, at this writing, in my possession, 
probably always to be my property. A few payments on this 



86 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

debt had been made, and Professor Dardanelles seemed to 
be perfectly honest in the matter, at times excusing himself 
because pupils had given up their lessons or had removed to 
other cities or because the bills at the hospital had not all been 
paid, but several times he nevertheless sent out of his earn- 
ings a few dollars. It was my intention to wait until the 
amount due me had been half paid back and then let him work 
off the rest. On principle it was my wish not to begin les- 
sons from him before at least half had been returned, for 
fear it would only encourage him at another time to borrow 
money in the hopes of paying for it through lessons. 

Shortly after Christmas a payment of ten marks was made, 
and another of fifteen marks came a few weeks later, when 
in the latter part of February a notice of the death of Pro- 
fessor Dardanelles appeared in the local paper ; a sudden death 
it was claimed, so tliat for the moment I wondered whether, 
filled with troubles and cares, he had committed suicide. But 
such was fortunately not the case, though without doubt it 
was his great grief which carried him to his grave. A few 
days previously he had been affected with unmistakable signs 
of heart trouble, which would not leave him, and which finally 
resulted in his death; poor, desolate, alone, a stranger in a 
strange country, the only one at his bedside being a native 
German who was one of his scholars in French. He, an active, 
energetic, strong man in the prime of life, died far away from 
all the friends of his youth, in a country towards which his 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 87 

own country for many generations past had not had the best 
of feelings. His brother came from France to be present at the 
funeral, but as that had been postponed and the brother's leave 
of absence could not be extended, he was obliged to leave the 
evening before. The wife, who had been communicated with, 
wrote that it would be impossible for her or any one of the 
children to be present. So this poor man was buried in the 
city cemetery, followed to the grave by a small handful of 
mourners, all strangers or foreigners to him; a career, which 
had started so well about five or six years previously, and 
which promised to be so flourishing, ended in misery and pov- 
erty, for very little could be found that could be turned into 
money. One party, who owed the deceased about eighty marks 
for lessons, came and honestly paid the amount after reading 
the death-notice, so giving the landlady the last month's rent 
and also paying towards the funeral expenses ; the tailor called 
to see if there was any money which he could get in payment 
for a pair of trousers lately made for this man, but there was 
nothing for him to do but to take possession of the trousers, 
which, though now no longer new, were better than nothing. 
A few other bills there were also, but as far as known the 
amount due me was the greatest of all. So it would seem 
that he on principle would not have contracted any debts at 
all if it could have in any way been avoided; and if he had 
had a proper chance, and if life had been spared him for a 
few years, that he would have recovered his former spirits with 



88 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

the activity and success which would have again made him 
a happy and prosperous individual. 

Conversation with the brother in regard to the books in 
my possession gave me no hope of getting a return of the 
money lent Mr. Dardanelles. That money will have to be 
considered as lost and the books, most of them French and 
very few of value to me and probably not worth as much as 
the amount of money due me, will have to be kept. These 
books being now mine, the boxes were opened and examined. 
It may well be said that the true value and worth of a man 
can be judged from his library; and from the nature and 
quality of these books — all serious student books, some French 
literature, a few of German literature, some dictionaries, 
Greek, French, German, Latin text-books, some histories, some 
elementary books on algebra, geography and other branches 
which he was accustomed to teach, some private notes, etc. — 
it could be seen that this man's mind was deep, thorough, 
sincere. 

Since the unfortunate death of this character I think more 
of him than ever before, and the thought will not leave me 
that possibly after all he was right and the wife was wrong; 
that the wife, though a good woman when considered individu-*' 
ally by herself, was perhaps not the wife that a man of this 
caliber and of this strong mind required; that probably she 
was nevertheless the cause of his downfall and unhappiness. 
Moreover, who can say that his claim that the troubles began 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 89 

wnen her mother became a member of it was not true. It may 
be that the mother-in-law felt disinclined to adapt herself to 
the new surroundings in this country, which she hated, and so 
gave vent to her unhappy disposition in the family, and that 
he who had brought the family to this country was the one 
who had to bear the chief brunt of it. His family did not 
suffer in Germany, for the people were kind, obliging and 
helpful, and the very fact that there were so many lessons in 
French taken from Professor Dardanelles and his wife shows 
how popular they were considered and how little national 
enmity was made manifest towards them. Yet who knows but 
that therein lies the nucleus of all the family trouble that led 
to the tragical scene in the household and ended in the sad 
death of the husband and the separate, perhaps miserable, exis- 
tence of the wife in far-away Paris. There are things within 
every family life which outsiders never know or are not com- 
petent to judge, so with all due respect to the wife, against 
whom personally no word of reproach can be said, there nev- 
ertheless will always be in my mind a pleasant memory of this 
once so prosperous individual, whose character and disposi- 
tion were such an interesting study and who finally was car- 
ried to a grave in a strange, foreign country. 

Interested to ascertain whether this otherwise so strong- 
minded man was able to keep his promise or contract to me 
in abstaining from beer and wine, which he claimed to be 
doing, but concerning which I had no means of knowing, I 



90 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

inquired of his friend, who showed such devotion during his 
last hours and who, at other times, often accompanied him 
on his walks, and learned that for many months the deceased 
had refused to partake, always claiming as an excuse that it 
did not agree with him. I also learned from the landlady that 
she often wondered why this robust, strong man, of the type 
that likes beer and wine, never partook of it and never went out 
to taverns, as other people were accustomed to do, but sat 
diligently and faithfully in his room ; my question and expla- 
nation to her threw a light on the whole matter— he was keep- 
ing his promise, never taking or indulging, intending to abstain 
until he had paid back the last cent that he owed me. The 
only drink which she knew him to partake of was during the 
evening before his death, when he complained of feeling so 
sick that she procured a quarter of a liter of red wine (one- 
half pint), which she heated and gave him as a medicine. It 
is evident that he had so much control over himself that he 
respected and kept true to his promise. 

We can certainly feel that Professor Dardanelles was a 
man of his word and that he intended to do what was right, 
and that there was in his trained, educated mind those quali- 
ties which characterize true manhood. Hence it will always 
be a great satisfaction to know that in a moment of great need 
and distress the desired assistance was not refused him. All 
honor to his memory! 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 91 

BURIALS IN GE:RMANY. 

Let lis 
Find out the prettiest daisied spot zue ean. 
And make him zvith our pikes and partisans 
A grave. — Cymbeline: IV, 2. 

Burials at Freiburg and in some other cities of Germany 
are conducted very differently from what they are in our 
American cities. While in smaller towns and villages the 
funeral services are held at the house or the church, and the 
line of carriages and long procession of mourners on foot 
proceed slowly to the cemetery as in our American cities, in 
Freiburg there is never a funeral procession within the city 
unless it be from the cemetery to the railroad station. 

As soon as a death has been reported by the attending phy- 
sician the other regularly appointed officials must also be noti- 
fied, who proceed immediately to the house with a hearse and 
take the body of the deceased to the cemetery chapel. This 
is not a matter for the family to decide or express any opinion 
about, but it is the stern hand of the law, and custom now 
makes it seem the proper way. The cemetery chapel is a 
beautiful, capacious stone building, conspicuously located in 
the cemetery grounds, and contains many small chambers, in 
one of which the remains are kept until the funeral. The burial 
commissioner, a city employee, who has for twenty-one years 
been serving the city in this capacity, learns from the family of 



gl Faces and Phases of German Life* 

the deceased what its wishes are as regards burial expenses, 
for the expenses of cofifin, cross, display of plants, etc., are 
graded into three classes, and there are no private undertaker 
establishments in Freiburg, the city having a monopoly in this 
as in other matters, fully believing in municipal ownership of 
everything. The casket is then ordered by the commissioner, 
whose duty it is to manage all arrangements pertaining to the 
funeral, even setting the time of day, courteously respecting 
any expressed wishes of the family. 

In the chamber where the body lies there hangs a wire 
from the ceiling, which extends to a very delicate electric bell 
apparatus. This wire is placed in the deceased's hand and kept 
there for forty-eight hours, and the least motion of the fin- 
gers or hand would work this very sensitive device and cause 
the bell in the office room to ring loudly. During the daytime 
employees are always near, and at night time a watchman or 
attendant is obliged to sleep in this bell-room. An indicator 
shows in which chamber the hand has moved and everywhere 
are posted printed instructions for bringing a person back to 
life. It is of course of interest to know if such cases ever 
occur, but during the sixteen years that this wise precaution has 
been observed there has been no case at Freiburg. The loud 
ringing of the bell would continue indefinitely, for the electric 
current coming from the city's electric power house would be 
inexhaustible; it can not be stopped or interfered with by the 
watchman, for the bell is enclosed in a glass case, and the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 93 

burial commissioner must be summoned, if the case is to be 
opened, for he alone possesses a key to this glass case. In this 
manner the law and the cemetery authorities effectively guard 
against any scheme or tricks of a dishonorable , inhuman 
attendant, who might prefer to sleep, and reason that the dead 
ought to stay dead, rather than exert himself in restoring a 
fellow being to life. While such a one could of course cut the 
wire and so stop the ringing, yet he would not escape detec- 
tion and the consequent severe punishment. 

The burials take place from this cemetery chapel, and the 
family generally announce the time in the city newspapers 
and by means of suitable printed black-bordered cards or let- 
ters by mail. The friends gather at the appointed time, and 
if any come in carriages they leave them at the entrance, for 
no carriages are ever allowed within the cemetery. In the 
chapel the men proceed to the right side and the women to 
the left, and all remain standing, for there are no chairs or 
benches; the casket, covered with the floral tributes, wreaths, 
etc., is placed in the center by the official city pallbearers, and 
the mourners take their places behind the casket. When all 
is ready the burial commissioner motions with his hand and 
the gentlemen pass in line before the mourners, giving expres- 
sion to their feelings of sympathy by a shake of the hand, and 
then resume their former standing places, after which the 
ladies do likewise. The pastor or priest steps now forward 
and conducts services, which are necessarily short, for at the 



94 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

end of a half hour there may be another funeral, for which 
the friends are perhaps already gathering outside. If, how- 
ever, the deceased has been a prominent person the funeral 
time is set as the last for the day, and then there is no limit 
of time, so that addresses may be made by university pro- 
fessors, business men, and others. 

After the chapel exercises are finished the procession to the 
grave begins, the commissioner leading the way, one city 
employee with a cross following, the bearers with the casket, 
the mourners, then the men and the women generally, two 
by two, the women usually taking the flowers and wreaths. 
While we in America are not so particular about special dress 
for funerals, it is here extremely rare to see any man attend- 
ing a funeral who is not provided with high hat, long coat and 
black gloves — the prescribed funeral dress. At the grave short 
services are conducted, and after the prayer each goes his way; 
the commissioner returning to the chapel without delay to 
superintend the next funeral. In the main cemetery both Cath- 
olics and Protestants lie buried, but Jews have a cemetery and 
a burial commissioner of their own. 

To a person attending a funeral in Freiburg for the first 
time, it seems cold, unsympathetic and unfeeling in the 
extreme ; for here we have the same methodical, unsentimental 
"setness" seen in other matters; but if my readers will take 
the time to reason about it, trying to restrain in themselves 
all feelings and judgments due merely to custom and force 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 95 

of habit, they will certainly see many advantages in this mode 
of burial ; for the German is here also logical and philosophi- 
cal, avoiding the purely sentimental and sensational, which we 
oftentimes favor unwisely. In forming our judgment here we 
certainly ought to consider which in human mentality ranks 
the higher, reason or sentiment, and I am sure that we would 
then declare that the German way is superior to ours, in that 
it is more reasonable and more businesslike, with full resc>ect 
for the dead and with suitable courtesy to the living. 

There are crematories in Germany; none in Freiburg, but 
one at Karlsruhe, Baden. Here there would naturally be no 
funeral procession, but the friends gather in the chapel of 
the crematory, where appropriate services are held and indi- 
cations of sympathy made manifest, after which the kind 
friends depart and the casket is lowered to a vault below, to 
be incinerated, which requires about four hours. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 97 



MR. EPSON. 

TH^ TRAMP professor; 
OR 

A RoiviviNG ston:^ gathers no moss. 

/ zvasted time, and nozv doth time waste me. 

—Richard II : V, 5. 

While our French professor was a man of good sound edu- 
cation, fine breeding, affable, polished and courteous, as only 
a Frenchman can be, this particular individual lacked many 
of those qualities. Originally of good family, a Saxon by 
birth, he had undoubtedly degenerated. It is probable that 
at home he was considered a good-for-nothing fellow, a black 
sheep in the family, one whom his friends and relations dis- 
owned and were only too pleased to have far away, for fear 
he might disgrace them. 

Whereas the French professor came to this city with noble 
aims and ambitions, full of glory and promise, with aspira- 
tions which were in great part realized, this tramp professor 
came to Freiburg merely as a transient, not intending to stay, 
with almost no aims in life, but merely floating and drifting 



98 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

to whatever point fate or the temporary condition of his 
pocket-book brought him. 

My introduction to this man was by means of a letter 
received one morning by mail, written in English, asking 
whether the writer could not receive employment in my office. 
During the course of the forenoon, however, this party, with- 
out waiting for the unsatisfactory reply which he was sure 
would come to him, called personally at the office, pretended 
to be disappointed in not being able to find employment at 
the consulate ; prepared for such a bit of information, he asked 
for a loan of sufficient money to travel by rail into Switz- 
erland, declaring that he was without funds. Not desiring to 
loan money to a stranger, for from previous experience I 
judged that his memory also would be short-lived soon after 
leaving the city, I informed him that that was impossible. 

In further conversation with the man I learned that he 
had been quite a rover, had visited distant parts of the earth, 
South America, even Australia, and during the Boer war had 
acted the part of interpreter on the freight boats transporting 
Hungarian horses to South Africa ; that once upon a time he 
had spent a little time in teaching, so that from all appear- 
ances he was a Jack-of-all-trades and master of none. He 
claimed to have been drugged in a restaurant in England, 
where a great amount of his money had been stolen. He was 
not tall, but strong, able-bodied and stout, like many of his 
race, with full back-head, strong full frontal region and top- 






Faces and Phases of German Life. 99 

head, and a broad head. He gave me the impression that 
he was a man who could enjoy good living if he had it and 
who could w^ork hard if obliged to. 

As he had only forty pfennigs, or less than ten cents in his 
pocket, without a job of any sort in view, and without any 
prospects ahead, it was certainly a predicament not to be 
envied, and yet he was not in despair. As he told me a 
year or two later, the words of forcible advice that were given 
him by me on this occasion caused him to remain in the city 
and endeavor to make something of himself. Whether it was 
for his best advantage or whether it would have been better 
for him to have again taken up his drifting and floating mode 
of life it is hard to say; it is just possible that the terrible 
lesson he learned may in the years to come serve him a good 
turn, and that perhaps it was best for him to have it impressed 
upon his mind with force that the rolling stone can gather 
no moss. 

Recognizing fine executive ability in him and readiness 
to put his hand to anything, and also noting the type of head 
which we see in successful bankers and business men gener- 
ally, his attention was called to that fact and he was reproached 
for not having made more of himself in life. 

He had a knowledge of several languages, so he was told 
that he could receive a little help, but he would have to earn 
it, and was ordered to call at the office at four o'clock, when 
I would take a lesson in French conversation from him, and 



100 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

he could then have a httle cash on hand to start out for Switz- 
erland. Promptly at the appointed time he arrived ; the lesson 
in French that he gave was satisfactory, for even if he was 
not a first-class, well-read individual, he nevertheless did have 
a speaking knowledge of the language, as also good teaching 
ability and an eagerness to have his pupil learn. 

Although he was not instructed to call again, his ener- 
getic spirit caused him to stay over another day in the hopes 
of giving another lesson, for that first lesson made him realize 
that he could by settling down possibly make his living by 
giving lessons in English, French and German. He rented a 
room, advertised in the local papers and organized classes 
not only in Freiburg, but also in the neighboring towns. His 
lessons were given at a cheap rate and were satisfactory, so 
that he was little by little gaining a reputation as a teacher. A 
happy man he was when he had succeeded in saving sufficient 
money to buy a new suit of clothes, and still more happy was 
Mr. Epson when he could open his pocket-book and show half 
a dozen shining gold pieces, which he had saved in the course 
of a month or two. His whole energetic nature had been 
aroused and stimulated, and a new era seemed to be dawning 
upon his life; he was beginning to learn that he would have 
more happiness in life by settling down and trying to make 
something of himself than by remaining unsettled, roaming 
around from one part of the world to another, living from 
hand to mouth, as it were, seeking work and jobs anywhere 



Faces and Phases of German Life. loi 

that they might be offered to him. He was planning even to 
start a special boarding school or going into partnership with 
the proprietor of a training school for boys in one of the 
neighboring towns, when, alas! his aims and ambitions were 
all killed by hard fate. 

Unfortunately for him, he was a great lover of children 
and pets generally; he enjoyed to go out walking with his 
large St. Bernard dog, and was oftentimes accompanied by 
a young boy, the son of the restaurant keeper at whose place 
he was accustomed to take his meals. This boy undoubtedly 
was, as Mr. Epson claimed, in feeble, imbecile condition, for 
not long after the terrible fate which his testimony brought 
upon this man, he died of consumption, though only twelve 
years of age, and so the priest was not able to learn from 
him in the confessional the full facts. As there are always 
people who like to seek food for gossip, so it was here. Seeing 
this stranger taking daily walks with a child not his own, 
accompanied by a large dog, was sufficient reason for them 
to consider that everything was not honorable, and the moment 
arrived when this man was doomed to have his career, which 
he had begun so successfully, cut short quickly, for on very 
serious charges he was arrested; though claiming to the end 
to have been innocent of any wrongdoing, he was nevertheless 
sentenced to three years in the penitentiary — also a stranger 
in a foreign state, without friends, the friends of his family 
perhaps remembering a previous improper career, and refus- 



102 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

ing in any way to come to his rescue. The httle boy, upon 
whose testimony alone the conviction rested, and who it is 
just possible did not at all understand the nature of it, is dead; 
the man has repeatedly declared his innocence ; I was not 
present at the trial, nor have I seen the court records, and 
hence have no definite personal knowledge of the case. After 
two years a letter was received by me from the prison chap- 
lain, with reference to this individual, who had been in every 
respect an exemplary prisoner and for whom the directors of 
the prison were anxious to make an effort before the State 
Ministry for pardon. The letter w^as written to me because 
Mr. Epson had said to the chaplain that I would surely give 
him words of encouragement even now, and the chaplain 
wished to ascertain whether I would be willing to interest 
myself in him in case he w'ere released or pardoned, so that 
there would be an opportunity given him to earn his living. 
The thought w^as expressed that such an assurance would cer- 
tainly be of great value in obtaining the desired pardon. This 
wish was cheerfully acquiesced in, for the man had always 
shown himself gentlemanly and agreeable, and was a good 
teacher, and I was confident that his experience in prison 
would be a most valuable lesson to him, teaching him to spend 
his time profitably and in such a way as to avoid even the 
suspicion of wrongdoing. When some time later he was 
released he did not return to Freiburg, whether on account of 
his own wishes or not was not made clear in a letter he sent 



1 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 103 

me irom Northern Germany, where he intended to locate as 
private teacher of languages. 

Having occasion to call on an American of my district, who 
for some misdemeanor was confined in the Bruchsal peniten- 
tiary, I took the opportunity to see Mr. Epson also, with whom 
I had a short interview. Although he had been in prison 
more than two years, it was evident that his spirit was in no 
way crushed, for what can be called a feeling of righteous 
indignation seemed to pervade him when he in forcible lan- 
guage maintained his innocence. His ambition had not left 
him, for with pride he declared that he was now capable of 
teaching another language, for his spare moments and study 
time he had been devoting entirely to the study of Italian, 
which he felt qualified to write as well as to speak, and he was 
counting the days when his term of imprisonment will be at 
an end, so that with energy and enthusiasm he can begin an 
honorable career again. 



THE GERMAN COURTS. 

A Daniel come to judguient! yea, a Daniel! 
O wise young judge, hozv I do honor thee! 

— Merchant of Venice: IV, i. 

As Human Nature is the same the world over, it is but 
natural to suppose that the Germans, in common with the rest 



104 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

of mankind, take no special delight in supporting their gov- 
ernment. The Germans, however, through their many law- 
suits, are annually contributing an immense amount of revenue 
to their state treasury, and seem to be fully contented and self- 
satisfied in doing so ; for to adjust their many troubles and mis- 
understandings there are about 8,000 judges in the country, 
and these are overworked the whole time, while the number 
of lawyers supporting themselves and their families through 
the troubles of their fellow-countrymen, which troubles they 
oftentimes complicate, is correspondingly great. As a race 
the Germans are not quarrelsome, so that another reason 
must be sought to explain the occurrence of these many legal 
quarrels, and this can probably be found in their philosophi- 
cal minds, combined with a strong conscience, which craves 
for a proper equilibrium or adjustment of matters, the result 
being 'a disposition to have their misunderstandings adjusted 
in a manner and by an authority which can be and must be 
honored and respected by all paries concerned. 

In Germany the petty police cases are tried and fined by 
the police department, and the officials in charge are kept very 
busy, because of the multiplicity of requirements and obliga- 
tions in every phase of life and in every calling whatsoever; 
an infraction is a very simple matter, and the offenses are 
oftentimes those of omission and not of commission, an unin- 
tentional forget fulness or unfortunate neglect because of many 
pressing duties. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 105 

Other cases, as troubles arising between housewife and 
maid-servant, or employer and employee, or cases where the 
amount of money involved is less than sixty marks, are set- 
tled in Freiburg and elsewhere by one of the mayors of the 
city, whose duties as mayor are entirely concerned with this 
kind of work. One visit to a session of the mayor's court, 
free from the awe-inspiring dignity of the other courts, will 
prove exceedingly interesting, instructive and even amusing. 
When, for example, the woes of an oppressed, underfed ser- 
vant are being ventilated, or the worries of a mistress because 
of a lazy, thieving servant are heard, who, it is claimed, not 
only feeds her hungry soldier lover in the kitchen, but also 
takes butter and eggs to her mother. Each 'looks daggers" 
at the other and denies the charges reflecting on her character 
or decency; probably there is also a long list of witnesses for 
the one or for the other or for both, many being called to 
order or threatened with fines for being too eager to give 
their testimony at one and the same time. As the mayor 
at Freiburg who attends to these cases is very active, quick- 
witted, intelligent and energetic, there is not much time lost, 
but all matters meet with very ready adjustment or amicable 
settlement, and a considerable amount of work is accomplished 
in the course of a forenoon session. A visitor cannot leave 
without wondering at the queer and funny questions which 
arise requiring adjustment and making full-grown, reason- 
able people enraged at each other. 



io6 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

Of the ordinary regular courts in Germany the lower is 
called the Amtsgericht, or district court, of which there are 
almost two thousand; this is a court of the first instance, and 
in civil cases one judge presides. The higher court is called 
the Landgericht, or territorial court, of which there are not 
quite two hundred; this has original jurisdiction in both civil 
and criminal cases and also tries the cases appealed from the 
Amtsgericht. The supreme court is the Oberlandgericht, of 
which there are twenty-eight; this is not a court of original 
jurisdiction, but is the court of appeal from the territorial 
courts. The highest court of the empire is the Reichgericht, 
or Imperial court, at Leipsic, in which some ninety judges are 
active. In connection with the Amtsgericht there is a depart- 
ment called the Schoffengericht, presided over by one judge 
(Amtshichter) and two laymen, known as Schoeffen. The 
Schoffengericht tries criminal cases, the penalty of which is 
not greater than three months' imprisonment or a fine of six 
hundred marks or both. There is also a Schwurgericht, or 
jury court, under the classification of Landgericht, and com- 
posed of three judges and twelve jurors, to try criminal cases. 

A new civil code, uniform for all Germany, went into 
effect on January i, 1900. Copies of this can be bought in 
any bookstore in very cheap editions, and accordingly it is 
found and studied in many homes, in some cases as a guid- 
ance for the right and in other cases as a tool in the hands of 
the criminally-inclined, who most diligently study the law 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 107 

to ascertain to what extent they can break it without being 
punished. In making decisions the judges follow very closely 
the wording of the text, for that becomes their own protec- 
tion and defense, if their decision in any matter is ever criti- 
cised; hence here, as in other affairs of Germany, the cold, 
unsympathetic, unsentimental, logical ''setness" is observed, 
and accordingly innocent, upright people may occasionally be 
made to suffer through an unintentionally wrong judgment, 
given by a judge who in his heart believes them to have been 
wronged, but who finds them guilty according to law, simply 
because they have fallen into the hands of dishonest parties, 
who, through previous experiences in court cases and through 
the careful study of the civil code, know just how far to 
proceed in any transactions with these honest people. When 
ultimately the court trial occurs, the judge will be obliged even 
against his own personal belief and feelings to make a deci- 
sion in their favor, for here again woe unto him if he cannot 
uphold his decision with the direct text of the law. 



JUDGMKNT BY OATH. 

'Tis not the many oaths 
That make a truth. 
—All's Well That Ends Well: IV, 3. 

Severe criticism is certainly justifiable on the almost too 



lo8 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

free and ready use made of the oath in the German courts; 
to be sure, the judge has then an absolutely sound founda- 
tion for his decision, a solid basis which serves as a most 
perfect protection to him, for the whole responsibility for a 
change of the decision or the punishment of the perjurer falls 
upon the parties before him. While the penalty for perjury is 
exceedingly severe, this false swearing must be proved beyond 
the least doubt, and if the question in dispute is a matter 
arranged simply between the two parties with no witnesses to 
the transaction, then the perjury can never be proved to the 
satisfaction of any German judge, for only one of the two 
of the parties is put on oath. This sad condition of affairs 
is certainly in great part due to the fact that everybody has 
such easy access to the civil code, and some can thus make 
base use of it, and the criminal is apt to be such a good judge 
of human nature that he plays the game of ^'injured inno- 
ceRce" with great skill and excellent success. 

the; poor-debtor i.andi.ord. 

One that lies three-thirds, and uses a known truth to pass 
a thousand nothings zvith, should he once heard, and thrice 
beaten.^AWs Well That Ends Well: II, 5. 

I have known several cases at Freiburg where Americans 
lost cases at court, and ever after felt that while the German 
judge endeavored to do right, yet the past life and general 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 109 

reputation of any individual ought to be thoroughly investi- 
gated before such party be put on oath, and the more honor- 
able person should always receive the benefit of any doubt. 
One of these cases was that of an American student, who had 
engaged rooms for his mother, two sisters and himself, and 
had originally agreed that at any time fifteen days' notice to 
leave, the usual time required of students, was sufficient. The 
landlord, who had once upon a time taken the poor debtor's 
oath and was in consequence of this not allowed by law to 
transact any business in his own name, had sent the student to 
his wife, with whom all arrangements had been made, and 
to whom the monthly rent was always promptly paid and 
receipted for. So when he was about to leave she accepted 
a notice of twenty-one days. The husband then for the first 
time appeared on the scene, and instead of thanking the your.g 
man for the extra six days, insisted on the payment of an 
extra month's rent, and then thirty days' notice. 

A lengthy lawsuit followed, which was ultimately won 
by the man, merely because he under oath declared that he 
himself had rented the rooms and had specially arranged for 
monthly notice to leave ; and the question of the poor debtor's 
oath and being disqualified as regards any business, which 
would of course include the renting of rooms, was not known 
to the American student and was not made a matter of investi- 
gation either, though it could easily have been ascertained by 
the authorities; so the case was lost, with costs to pay. 



110 Faces and Phases of German Life, 



T?IK NON-PAYING TENANTS. 

The earth hath bubbles, as the water hath, and these are of 
them. — Macbeth : I, 3. 

In another case an American had a non-paying tenant, 
whom he had treated with great consideration ; and, on prom- 
ises which were never kept, had allowed him to stay for sev- 
eral months in his rooms ; but when he procured a better ten- 
ant, who even wanted to purchase the house, and this man 
was asked to move, he proved to be a party whose special 
object was to live rent-free, and so a lawsuit followed, which 
was dragged along through several adjournments for the sake 
of further evidence and some more promises to pay, etc. Dur- 
ing all that time this party continued to live in the house 
without paying rent, as he well knew beforehand that he 
could do. The Amtsgericht, as court of first instance, decided 
in favor of this non-paying tenant, whose wife had been 
brought to take oath on an interview which had never taken 
place, swearing that the landlord had, told her that they 
could live there a few months longer in the hope that their 
circumstances would improve. An appeal to the Landgericht 
brought about a reversion of this decision, but no punishment 
for the perjurer, for there were no witnesses to the supposed 
interview, and before the court her oath, though her life had 
been a rather variegated one, meant just as much as that of the 
other party, who was not allowed to swear. Moreover, her 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 1 1 1 

husband was receiving, as former post-office official, a pen- 
sion of 1,200 marks, or almost $300, which could not be 
attached and would just support' him in comfort if he could 
only manage the rent question satisfactorily. 

Through this false oath of the woman, which the judge, 
though informed beforehand that it was perjury, inasmuch 
as the interview had not taken place, nevertheless admitted as 
evidence, the landlord had to suffer severely. This particular 
judge was, however, only a beginner, and was soon after 
transferred to the state attorney's office for another kind of 
experience before receiving appointment to a permanent gov- 
ernment position. Besides getting no rent, the landlord had 
even the costs to pay; and because of these long delays the 
third party could not wait, and so a good tenant was lost, and 
a sale of the house was lost, and also another lawsuit fol- 
lowed and was lost; for in this case, strange to say, the third 
party brought suit for damages because of these delays, which 
the court itself occasioned. Whether the state will pay back 
these losses, for which the American citizen was in no way 
responsible, will probably depend on the action of the court in 
a new lawsuit against the state; if such a lawsuit follows and 
the court were to decide against the state, our fellow-country- 
man would of course receive out of the state treasury the 
amount of his losses. 



112 Faces and Phases of German Life, 



PEiNAIvTiKS ^OR P]E:rJURY. 

Thoii shalt he zvhippcd zvith zvire and stew'd in brine, 
smarting in lingering pickle. — Antony and Cleopatra: II, 5. 

How severely Germany deals with parties proven guilty of 
perjury was seen in the spring of the year 1908, when the 
German courts and people generally were all deeply interested 
in the outcome of the great perjury case at Leipsic. During 
seven years, probably beginning with the introduction of the 
new civil code, with the nature of which they had made them- 
selves thoroughly familiar, a band of seven or eight men sys- 
tematically preyed on innocent parties and as regularly gained 
their cases at court, causing terrible losses to some of their 
victims and undoubtedly grieving others to death. The leader 
of this company, a former tavernkeeper, posed as agent, and 
would buy and sell land, houses, horses, etc. — anything that 
would bring him money, and would designedly act the part 
of a very honest man, so as to gain the full confidence of 
every one with whom he had dealings. Of course he had his 
confederates, who would before the court swear to anything 
he had instructed them to swear to, even as witnesses to inter- 
views where they were not present, etc. Several of the judges 
who had tried some of their many cases declared that they had 
often had their suspicion and had felt that things were not 
Entirely right ; and they were accordingly all the more thorough 
and severe in cross-questioning the many witnesses, who could 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 113 

always be summoned. But however sharply they looked into 
matters, they never could find the least proof of any wrong, 
but, on the contrary, they always found that the various 
testimonies harmonized most beautifully, and in their entirety 
constituted such a fine and perfect network of evidence, that 
it was not possible to render any other decision than the one 
in favor of these parties. 

But at last there came a turn in the tide. The dishonest 
syndicate was brought to trial and found guilty, and the per- 
jurers w^ere sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, the 
leader getting fifteen years and the others six years, nine years, 
and the like. If the court would only procure a statement 
regarding the past life of each party and would place no con- 
fidence in the word of any one with a bad record, these men 
would never have dared to appear as witnesses in such cases. 
While these wrongdoers are at last receiving their just deserts, 
the innocent, honorable and hard-working people who had been 
fleeced by these scoundrels receive no compensation for their 
heavy losses, in some cases the savings of a lifetime, nor any 
redress for their lost reputation. 



114 Faces and Phases of German Life. 



IMPRISONED, THOUGH INNOCE:nT. 

If I shall be condemned 
Upon surmises; all proofs sleeping else, 
But zvhat your jealousies azvake; I tell you, 
'Tis rigor, and not law. 

The court records of every country can and will tell of 
innocent people who have suffered for years in prison or have 
even been executed before their innocence was definitely 
brought to light, where the judges, according to law, did their 
duty, but where right did not prevail, because the real truth 
could not at the time be proved or discovered. The great 
Dreyfus affair of France is a matter of history, and it would 
probably be easy to find cases in our own country of people 
suffering unjustly, if we were to make an earnest search. 
How an upright, industrious man may suffer through mere 
circumstances when no one is guilty of wrong intentions 
became very evident to me a few years ago. 

A broken-hearted artist, physically and mentally wrecked 
and utterly discouraged, called at the Consulate to offer some 
of his paintings for sale, and incidentally related the awful 
experiences which had completely ruined his life and crushed 
out all ambition and manhood. For he had served almost two 
years of a three year sentence in a Bavarian prison, though 
fully innocent, and that he was innocent he proved by exhibit- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 115 

ing a properly authenticated certificate from the prison officials. 
His story was that he had at one time been soHciting aid and 
references from a prominent church official, and while in his 
private study a third party called with four hundred marks, 
intended for charitable purposes, and immediately left, and 
the artist continued his interview; when, however, he had 
departed the money could not be found, so that suspicion was 
immediately directed towards the artist, for no other party 
had been in the room. The police wxre immediately notified, 
this man was found, and to his utter astonishment arrested and 
later brought before the court, where, on the strength of the 
accuser's oath, he received a sentence of three years. A year 
and a half later, however, the mystery was cleared, for the 
money, four bills, was found in a book where the church official 
had himself placed them at the time for safekeeping. The 
authorities were promptly notified, and the injured party 
received his liberty; but suppose either party had meanwhile 
died, then the truth might never have become known and an 
honest man's record might forever have remained blackened 
in the eyes of others and his family put to shame and disgrace. 

the: swindling widow. 

Never himg poison on a fouler toad. — Richard III : I, 2. 

An experience which an American resident of the Frei- 
burg district had with one of these persons of criminal tenden- 



ii6 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

cies illustrates well the peculiar dishonest methods practised. 
Some years previously a German lawyer had referred a certain 
woman to him for the purpose of collecting about $500, in 
America, which she was in danger of losing. In course of 
time he was able to pay her the sum of money, and he felt 
pleased over his success, for she had in every respect acted in 
a ladylike manner and appeared to be an industrious, upright, 
business woman. After his later experiences he recalled the 
fact that at the time when he was counting out the money for 
her a twenty-mark piece had most mysteriously disappeared, 
a loss which he had to suffer. Moreover, as she seemed to be 
a hard-working widow, he charged her very little for his 
services. 

As she, however, saw that he was kindhearted, she now 
planned to impose on him for her own selfish advantage. She 
succeeded in getting him to give bonds for her in a business 
transaction, but first gave him satisfactory evidence of con- 
siderable wealth, which she claimed to have acquired through 
her own industry, etc. As his circle of acquaintances did not 
include any of her friends, he had never heard any reflections 
cast on her conduct or character, and unfortunately made no 
inquiries about her. His first uneasiness and suspicion of 
deception came when he was obliged to lay out 6,500 marks, 
because of the security he had given. In a lawsuit he obtained 
judgment against her, and then new trickery came to light, 
for he learned that she was on the verge of bankruptcy; he 



Faces and Phases of German Lite. 117 

now realized how she had deceived him in the hope of obtain- 
ing his money to save herself from inevitable ruin brought 
about by reckless dissipation. He attached about 9,000 marks' 
worth of personal property which belonged to her, but she 
satisfied the authorities that she had nothing in her name that 
could be seized. 

Meanwhile she found a suitable third party, through whose 
aid she tried a blackmail scheme, but the American promptly 
reported this to the state attorney, and for a time her situa- 
tion was anything but pleasant. She nevertheless escaped pun- 
ishment by blaming the mediator, whose reputation was not 
of the best. 

The American citizen permitted me to read the report of 
a detective whom he had engaged to look up the past history 
of this woman, from which I could see that she had a very 
checkered career and was most unprincipled; for besides sev- 
eral very serious charges made by neighbors, there were at 
least two police or court records. It seems that she had once 
managed a small farm and had sold watered milk. For this 
she was arrested and tried, but acquitted; for she did not 
deny the charge, but frankly admitted that she had left water 
in the milk-cans to keep them pure and clean, and the man- 
servant had failed to empty them before milking. At another 
time she was arrested for stealing wooden ties from the rail- 
road nearby. Although these were found on the premises, 
partly cut up for kindling wood, she, under oath, declared her- 



ii8 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

self innocent; so she was acquitted, and the man-servant was 
imprisoned. Throughout her very questionable career it seems 
she always understood how to act the part of "injured inno- 
cence" to perfection, and generally managed to have each new 
case tried by a different judge. 

Our fellow-citizen expressed his opinion of her in the fol- 
lowing terms: ''The only difference between the banditti of 
uncivilized countries and the banditti of civilized countries is 
that the latter openly seek the aid of the courts in demanding ^ 
ransom of their unfortunate victims." 

This woman thought out a most extraordinary method of 
cancelling the debt of 6,500 marks, for she suddenly brought 
a lawsuit for 15,000 marks against him, claiming that he had 
promised to assume payment of some worthless mortgages, 
of which he knew absolutely nothing; but she well knew that 
if the court would place her under oath she would then gain 
her point and escape punishment, for the man would not be 
able to find any witnesses to prove her perjury. It was evident 
that this woman had no special desire to have her case tried 
by the court, perhaps fearing defeat, for she made several ' 
attempts to have a settlement made in private; first, before 
the two lawyers, which of course failed, after which a second 
"Versoehnungs-Versuch," or '^reconciliation-attempt," was 
made with one of the highest judges of the court presiding. 
In each case, I understand, this impudent woman assumed a 
very bold air in making her demands, and took extra pains to 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 119 

appear magnanimous by declaring that she would not insist 
on 15,000 marks, but would accept 6,000 marks cash in full set- 
tlement. However, the American did not fear her, but took 
an equally determined stand — declaring that he owed her not 
one pfennig and would put full confidence in the German court. 
He declared later to me that if he had '^settled" on any basis 
whatsoever, when he knew that she had no claims against him, 
and simply wanted to cancel her debt to him in this dishonest 
manner, he would have been guilty of encouraging crime. The 
case eventually came to trial and was decided against the 
woman, for the court properly claimed that if she had felt 
herself justified in demanding 15,000 marks from the man, 
why did she not mention that fact in the letter written to him 
in reply to his demand for the return of the 6,500 marks? 
Although her fraudulent conduct was thus brought to light, 
this woman received no punishment, probably because the 
court trying the case was not a criminal court and no criminal 
charges had been preferred against her. 

I have given this case this much consideration because to 
a character student an insight into all the aims and motives 
of this woman proves of interest and also a warning to Ameri- 
cans residing in foreign countries to be on their guard in all 
their private dealings with persons who are not their closest 
friends. Although this ''wealthy" woman had no money or 
personal property with which to pay her debts, the detective 
discovered the fact that she never lacked funds to pay her 



120 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

lawyers or any advance court bills, for a rich Jew was com- 
pletely under her power and always kept her well supplied 
with money. It certainly seems that she aimed to get the 
American likewise under her wicked influence, but in this she 
failed, for he preserved his honor and self-respect. 

THE jewei.e:r's oath. 

Truth is truth 
To the end of reckoning. 

— Measure for Measure: V, i. 

My readers must not imagine that Germany is the only 
country where by law a judge is relieved of responsibility in 
his decision by permitting one of the contesting parties to 
state under oath his claims, however illogical or improbable 
they may be. In the spring of 1909 the Paris Herald contained 
long articles pertaining to the unfortunate experiences of an 
American lady at Carlsbad, Austria. It seems that this lady 
visited a jewelry establishment and was very much interested 
in a necklace of pearls which the proprietor urged her to 
purchase. She did not, however, feel inclined to make a pur- 
chase, and politely stated that she would think about it. The 
tricky jeweler asked her to write her name and address in 
his business directory, and later, when she did not buy the 
pearls, he brought suit against her and, strange to say, won 
the case, The American lady was obliged to pay for the jewels 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 121 

as also all court costs, although the necklace had never been 
taken from the establishment and accordingly had never been 
in her possession. The court judge had the statements of the 
Carlsbad citizen made under oath, and he swore that the 
woman had made a purchase, the proof of such fact being 
her name in his book. The woman was not put under oath, 
for that w^ould defeat this whole system of administering jus- 
tice, and her denials meant nothing. Such methods carry us 
back in thought to ancient and mediaeval times, when the cause 
of right was decided by force of arms, the Lord being on the 
side of the victorious one. 

TH^ GE:RMAN prisons. 

freedom lives hence, and banishment is here. 

— King Lear: I, i. 

As I have never made a special study of the American and 
German prisons, I am unable to compare them, but as crimi- 
nals in prisons are involuntary exiles from a society which they 
have offended, they are everywhere treated with severity, 
though not necessarily with cruelty, and whether the treatment 
given them is reformatory or not depends not so much on the 
country as on the individual or board of management in 
charge. In Germany the director, prison officials, watchmen, 
etc., have all been military men who have not forgotten what 
.discipline was expected of them as free soldiers in the army, 



122 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

and accordingly understand thoroughly what they should 
demand of those who because of crime have forfeited their 
liberties; so quite naturally the prisoners are not treated over- 
leniently, but are made to feel that one term in prison is 
enough. 

Upon entering a prison the criminal must sign a paper to 
the effect that the authorities may open all his mail; he may 
refuse to do this, but the mail would then never be handed to 
him until his term was at an end. Of course there are many 
other prison regulations governing correspondence, visitors, 
etc., and if he is serving his first term in prison, the govern- 
ment shortens the time two months every year for good 
behavior; while if he is an old offender no such benefits are 
given him. The prisoners are employed at all kinds of manual 
labor, as in America, and some are allowed privileges even 
outside of the prison grounds, of course in charge of an official. 
In some prisons, perhaps in all, opportunity is given the pris-;j 
oners to improve themselves intellectually, for a trained teacher 
is one of the officials, and several times a week school sessions 
are held, which many of the prisoners are glad to take advan- 
tage of. 

One of the interesting features in the Freiburg penitentiary 
is the place where the prisoners take their daily exercise in the 
open air. While at Ensisheim, Alsace, all march in a body, 
single file, in Freiburg each has daily an hour's exercising and 
airing by himself in one of the six or seven sunny and airy 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 123 

)assages in the prison yard. These are separated from each 
Dther by high brick walls and the walks are the radii of a 
arge semi-circle, and an overseer sits at the geometric center 
)f this circle, where he can watch all without any strain on 
lis part, for each radius starts from his seat. The prisoners 
it exercise see the watchman, but can not see nor communicate 
vith each other. 

CAPITAI. PUNISHMENT. 

The jury, passing on the prisoners life. 
May, in the sivorn twelve, have a thief or two 
Guiltier than him they try; zvhafs open made to justice, 
That justice seizes. — Measure for Measure: II, i. 

Germany still believes in capital punishment, as some of our 
;tates unfortunately also do, but the mode of execution is 
)y means of the guillotine, a far more humane way than the 
\merican w^ays, for while we might say in the case of the bar- 
)arous hanging, "The party probably died instantly,'' and of 
he scientific electrocution, ''The party certainly can not sur- 
'ive the shock," we can say of the effective guillotining, ''The 
)arty is dead." An execution in Germany is a state affair, and 
he cards of invitation contain full instructions as to dress, 
nz. : high hat, long black coat (Prince Albert), black gloves, 
?tc., and the affair is conducted in a quiet, solemn, decent, 
)rderly and quiet manner, at an early hour, just before dawn. 



124 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

To prevent a crowd gathering about the prison, the invitation 
requests that no mention of the time be made to others, and 
in the morning at all street crossings near the prison pohce 
officials stand, keeping back every one who can not show a 
card of invitation. During the time of my residence at Frei- 
burg there were five men executed at the penitentiary there; 
on one occasion, in June, 1903, three young men, not one of 
them twenty-five years of age, were guillotined. Two months 
previously they had been found guilty of causing the death of 
an aged Jewish junk dealer, a fact which shows that, what- 
ever may have been the personal anti-semitic or aristocratic 
feelings in the community, before the law the life of this 
Jew was held just as sacred as that of any other subject ; and 
though he at best would have had but a very few more years 
to live, being then seventy-five years old, yet these three young 
men, for having shortened his life, forfeited their own. 

STRANGK SENTENCES. 

Though this he madness, yet there's method in it. 

— Hamlet: II, i. 

Americans, and Germans, too, for that matter, are often- 
times amused at court sentences in Germany. Perhaps a 
man is sentenced to death some three or four times, to impris- 
onment for life, and for fifteen years, and loss of honor for 
twenty-five years, all for one and the same general crime; 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 125 

where we would consider that once executed he would cer- 
tainly be settled for all time. But here again to understand 
this apparent absurdity we must look to the philosophical, 
logical workings of the German mind, for does not the law 
clearly define the penalties for the various offenses? and if 
the man has committed a half-dozen offenses against society, it 
becomes the duty of the judge to sentence him for each one, 
even if it requires a sentence to death some six or seven times. 
If he were sentenced to death but once the German mind would 
say: "How about the other offenses which he has committed? 
Would it not be demoralizing if such infringements of law 
were not recognized by the court and the proper penalties 
inflicted?" The fact that the criminal might possibly be dead 
before the sixth or seventh execution took place becomes a 
question not for the court to consider, the duties of which 
extend only to the crimes and the penalties for violation of law, 
but is a question for an entirely different department. 

If perchance a man had been executed and new evidence 
was brought to light showing that he had been entirely inno- 
cent of the crime, the case would be reconsidered by the court 
in all its details, and the man might long after death be 
acquitted; while such acquittal would come rather late to be 
of any benefit to the party himself, it nevertheless would serve 
as a consolation to the family and clear the family name from 
disgrace. 

These methods of thinking and acting may seem very pecu- 



126 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

liar to us, but they are all entirely consistent with the theoreti- 
cal workings of the German mind, which needs to be under- 
stood and properly appreciated in order to clearly comprehend 
the force and logic of such reasoning. 

rut DEAD I^ATHER. 

My father came nnfhnely to his death. — II Henry VI : III, 3. 

That the German subjects themselves do not always 
endorse such views as above outlined nor feel that such unsen- 
timental, theoretical action on the part of the authorities is 
intrinsically just became evident to me once in an American 
inheritance matter, which a number of peasants, brothers and 
sisters, wished me to look into for them. They were obliged 
to procure the death certificate of their father, who had been 
killed by the railroad train some fifty to sixty years previ- 
ously, leaving their mother with a large number of children 
to support and no fixed income. Their father, it seemed, was 
waiting at a railroad crossing for a long freight train to pass, 
and as he was in a hurry he did not wait for the roadman to 
raise the barriers, but as soon as the train had passed he raised 
them himself and ran across the tracks, only to be killed by 
an express train coming from the opposite direction. It was 
an accident for which no one was to blame and the poor 
widow and little children were the ones to sufTer the most. 
The one son was only eight years old at the time, but fifty years 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 127 

later was still feeling highly indignant and full of resentment 
because the unsympathetic authorities had added to the family 
miseries and troubles by imposing a fine because the father 
had violated the ordinance as regards crossing railroad tracks 
when the barriers were down, and they collected the amount 
out of the small farm which the father had left. We our- 
selves might also feel indignant over such great lack of sym- 
pathy, but this course of action was perfectly consistent; for 
the court is not there to show sympathy, and there was a clear 
violation of the law, which demanded punishment, irrespective 
of what had happened to the offending party or to his family. 

rkscue:d. 

/ do repent; but heaven hath pleas'd it so. 

—Hamlet: III, 4. 

In the same light we must view the action of a North 
German court in fining a man who had saved a party from 
drowning. The rescuer had jumped into the water and of 
course had indulged in the noble sport of swimming; it was, 
however, distinctly forbidden to swim or bathe in that lake, 
which fact was well known to the offender, for he could read 
and did read the sign near the lake, and the law allowed of 
no exceptions, not even in case a boat capsized ; hence the man 
knowin-gly and wilfully violated the law, and therefore it 
became the duty of the court to fine him. The law here was 



128 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

plainly on the side of the court, but while the judge kept him- 
self free from the censure of the higher authorities, he never- 
theless made himself subject to far-reaching criticism of an 
entirely different kind, and it is very probable that on appeal 
a higher court would have reversed the first judgment and 
would have acquitted the young man. 

THE UNBORN BURGOMASTER. 

/ do hilt dream on sovereignty. — III Henry VI : II, 2. 

Another interesting case was that of a popular young Ger- 
man, whose parents had emigrated to the prairies of Nebraska, 
where he was born, but as they did not like America, they 
returned to Germany when he was only six months old; here 
he continued living, educated as a German, serving in the army 
and residing in the village of his parents. He of course ' 
remembered nothing of America, and never studied the Eng- 
lish language, nor had the least desire ever to see America. 
He was in every respect a German, for his father had not 
been naturalized in Nebraska. As he was very popular, he 
was in due course of time elected mayor of the town, but, 
unfortunately for him, before an elected mayor can enter upon 
his duties his election must be confirmed by the ministry, and 
he is required to procure various documents pertaining to his 
personality, reputation, etc., one of them being a birth cer- 
tificate. Then his troubles began; for his birth had not been 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 129 

recorded in Nebraska, and his parents were both dead; hence 
it was impossible for him to obtain any birth certificate, and 
so he could not qualify as mayor, for the law required proof 
of his birth. It is clear that if a person can not procure a 
birth certificate the only conclusion is that he has not yet been 
born, and no town can have as mayor a man who has not been 
born. So this American-born German was obliged to forego 
the pleasures of office, for the law was rigid, recognized no 
exceptions, and had to be enforced. 

A VARIETY OF TR0UBLE:S. 

Why, courage, then! What cannot be avoided, 
'Tzvere childish weakness to lament, or fear. 

—Ill Henry VI : V, 4. 

A young American lady living in Germany was engaged to 
be married, but her lover was in America. He was a civil 
engineer, and was planning to come to Europe to be married 
to this young lady, and she was attending to all arrangements, 
so that there would be no unnecessary delays on his arrival, 
for his leave of absence was to be short. The authorities 
demanded birth certificates, but the lady could not procure 
any for herself, as her birth had not been recorded in her 
native city, and for a while there was much unpleasantness 
and worry. But as her mother was still living and was with 
her in Germany, the very accommodating official finally sug- 



130 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

gested that the mother appear before the consul and make an 
affidavit concerning her daughter's birth. This was done, my 
certificate was accepted by the official, and accordingly the first 
serious trouble w^as at an end. Now a new difficulty arose, 
with no remedy in sight, for before the proper marriage license 
would be issued to her, it was necessary that the young man also 
appear in person before the official to make a declaration that 
he desired of his own free will to marry that particular young 
woman. But he was in America, 5,000 miles away, and as 
his time would be exceedingly limited, all these matters had 
to receive full attention some weeks before the marriage cere- 
mony could take place. The kind, accommodating official, 
however, had at last the courage to suggest a solution, for he 
believed the word of the young woman, although he had to 
abide by the requirements of the law. So he suggested that the 
lady take some of her love-letters to the American consul to 
look over, and if the consul believed that the young man was 
sincere and that her claims about the marriage were true, he 
should prepare a certificate to that effect, which would be 
accepted. Of course this was a great embarrassment to the 
young, bhishing bride, and not less so to the American con- 
sul, to whom she brought those precious letters. But she tim- 
idly made her modest request, and with feelings of womanly 
satisfaction pointed to the many expressions of endearment 
and affection which certainly indicated sincerity and devotion 
on the part of the young man. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 131 

The German official accepted my certificate, and these seri- 
ous troubles of the young lady were then at an end and the 
marriage in due course .of time took place; but not in Ger- 
many, for the leave of absence was too short, so the parties 
met in England, and hence all the worries, etc., in Germany 
were in vain. From the explanations already given, the reader 
will perhaps conclude that this German official was in no sense 
of the word overbearing or hardhearted, but, on the contrary, 
in the highest degree kind, courteous and obliging. 

UNCERTAIN NATIONAUTY. 

/ have lost my hopes 
Perhaps even there, zvhere I did find my doubts. 

—Macbeth: IV, 3. 

The following case may be mentioned as showing still 
another phase of German thought and action. A young man 
of twenty-six called at the consulate to obtain a so-called 
Heimathschein, a certificate pertaining to nationality and home, 
for his sister, who wanted to accept employment in Basel, 
Switzerland, where the authorities demanded such a certifi- 
cate. But the German officials of their home village refused 
to issue one, instructing the sister to visit the American consul, 
inasmuch as she was no German, but an American. On inquiry 
I learned that the town authorities had considered this young 
man an American, and that he had not been mustered into the 



132 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

army, though he and five sisters, his father and his mother 
had all been born in that village, and he, his mother and sis- 
ters, had never lived at any other place, nor did any of them 
know any English nor even care about America. They were 
at heart Germans in every respect and yet officially treated 
as foreigners. According to the young man's story, the father 
in early youth had emigrated to America, where he became 
a citizen, but later he returned to his native village, and in 
1872 married one of his former schoolmates and remained 
there as an y\merican, for he never lost his American citizen- 
ship. But the father was not happy, and his earnings were 
not enough to support a large family, which in course of time 
it was his good fortune to have, and, moreover, his wife 
did not care to go to America, even if he could earn more 
there; so in 1885 he deserted the family and went to California, 
as far as known, for it was from California that the one let- 
ter he ever sent to them had been mailed. As the father was 
an American, the mother became one through her marriage, 
and therefore the children were all Americans, and the son 
did not need to become a soldier, and for that reason, too, 
none of the daughters could receive a Heimathschein from 
the town authorities, though they had been born in that village. 
Before the law they were Americans, although this meant as 
little to them as to be called Indians or Chinese or citizens 
of the planet Jupiter. In education, sentiment and feeling 
Hiey were thoroughly German and were Americans only 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 133 

through force of strange circumstances over which they had 
absolutely no control. 

Unfortunately for them they did not know the whereabouts 
of their father or even where he was naturalized; so they could 
not procure any naturalization certificate pertaining to him, 
and hence they could not be accommodated with a Heimath- 
schein or any other desired certificate by any American consul 
or any other American authority. All these facts were fully 
explained to the Basel officials, who undoubtedly treated this 
young American servant girl with all due consideration, for 
no more was heard of the case. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 135 



MR. FRANK. 

TH^ HOSPITABLE AMERICAN ; 

OR, 

A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED. 

A hundred thousand welcomes; I coidd weep. 

And I could laugh; I am light and heavy; welcome; 

A curse begin at very root of his heart, 

That is not glad to see thee! — Coriolanus: II, i. 

Every one who has taken a journey far away from home 
to a distant state or country, where he has no friends, knows 
what it is to long for a sight, if only for a moment, of the 
dear friends at home. To be sure, a man who loves books 
and study need not feel lonely, for he can find these ''friends'^ 
in every civilized land; but there are moments when even he 
longs for a short chat and exchange of ideas with those of 
like sentiment and feeling. To be in a country or city where 
a strange language is spoken tends to make the homesick feel- 
ing tenfold strong. I received a visit from two young Ameri- 
cans at the beginning of a university semester and listened with 
deep interest when they spoke of all their plans for study and 



136 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

foreign travel. Three days later one of them called alone 
and brought the news that his friend had returned to America, 
that he had become homesick and could not "stand it" any 
longer, so he cabled to his father in Missouri, 'Tlease wire me 
to return," and in a few hours the reply came, ''Come home 
immediately," and on the same day he started, perhaps after a 
year or two to regret his haste. At such times of homesick- 
ness how pleasant and welcome it is to be accosted kindly in 
church or railroad train in one's own language by some one 
from 'home." The hero of this sketch, Mr. Frank, was one 
of those friendly persons who endeavored to make others com- 
fortable and happy; he was honest and upright and in every 
respect an honorable American gentleman, who had taken his 
first degree at an American university and was now in Frei- 
burg to complete his education. That there was an American 
student of his name at the Freiburg university was known to 
me, for callers at the office had mentioned it; but I had never 
met him. But one evening, however, while attending a con- 
cert at the Stadtgarten or city park a young man of slender 
stature and of gentlemanly demeanor, approached the table 
at which I was sitting and said, "Excuse me, sir, but are you 
an American?" to which I was pleased to reply affirmatively, 
and he pleasantly added that he thought so ; and then taking a 
chair at my side, we engaged in conversation about our own 
dear country and the friends we had left at home, our respec- 
tive universities, politics, etc., anything and everything that 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 137 

was American. After this first meeting we often met, and just 
as he had at first approached me, so it was his custom to wel- 
come any and all of his country people, who might be passing 
through Freiburg. 

A peculiar little episode happened in this man's life, the 
narration of which will throw a little light upon another phase 
of German life, viz. : Womanhood. A city letter came one 
day to the consulate from an anxious German mother, whose 
daughter Mr. Frank had occasionally called upon. Following 
the American fashion, he had paid some little attention to the 
young woman, considering her, no doubt, a pleasant acquain- 
tance, but having in mind nothing more serious than passing 
an occasional evening at her house. But he knew nothing of 
German customs, for a lady in Germany is seriously com- 
promised if she receives many gentlemen callers. So the anx- 
ious mother wrote at once to the American consul for all infor- 
mation concerning Mr. Frank, as she had doubts about him 
and his intentions towards her daughter. Moreover, he had 
not been a soldier, or if he had been was now a deserter, for 
she judged according to German laws and regulations. Was 
he a fit husband for her daughter? Did he wish to marry 
her daughter? How can he think of marrying until he has 
that situation which he has spoken of? How can he obtain 
such situation without years of experience, as is customary 
here in Germany? 

All these inquiries were duly answered, but in the course 



138 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

of a few weeks the semester came to an end, and Mr. Frank 
returned to America, profoundly ignorant of the narrow escape 
which he had had. 



GE^RMAN WOME^N. 

Men at some times are masters of their fates; 
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, 
But in ourselves, that we are underlings. 

— Julius Caesar : I, 2. 

The status of woman in Germany is different from that in 
America, and while we deplore the fact that women in that 
great country have so many conventional rules and regula- 
tions thrust upon them, the people in Germany, women 
included, have their doubts as to the propriety of the free and 
open relations between young men and young women, as seen 
in America. We may well compare the sexes to the two poles 
of a magnet, which are perpetually seeking each other and 
are at peace and rest only when under each other's influence; 
and the real question for the sociologist, and for the criminol- 
ogist too, for that matter, is simply whether society is most 
benefited by the intermingling of the sexes from youth up, in 
school, church, social gatherings, etc., as in America; or by 
raising a conventional high stone wall between them, as is 
the case in all countries of Continental Europe. 

My first experience with women in Germany was some 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 139 

twenty years ago in the small town of Emmerich, on the 
Rhine, near the Holland boundary, when on my way to the 
, Leipsic university. Having a few hours in this border town, I 
strolled about, and coming to the large market place proceeded 
to the old-fashioned pump and enjoyed my first cool drink in 
Germany, the land of drinks. Presently there came a young 
girl with a large stone pitcher, after water, and I, in a spirit 
of American gallantry, pleasantly offered to fill the pitcher for 
her; but the icy, stinging, cutting reply from her, which can 
never be forgotten, still ^'burns" : ''I have always filled it alone, 
and can do it alone this time too." Perhaps she considered it 
rude that I, a stranger, should force acquaintanceship by offer- 
ing to assist her, but somehow from that date to the present 
day I have not ceased to believe that if the women in Ger- 
many consider their lot hard, and it is sometimes represented 
to be so, it is not due to the fact that the men have refused 
to be gallant, but undoubtedly to the stone wall conventional- 
ism, for which, in part, the women are to blame. If a young 
man is snubbed a few times like that when his wish is to 
respect the ladies and be attentive to their every want, will 
it not be perfectly natural for him in course of time to cease 
paying any attention to women, but mind his own business 
and go his way in life and let the women go theirs? The lot 
of woman in any country is in great part that which she pre- 
pares for herself, for the man by nature longs to please any 
woman he can respect and admire; and if she, because of 



140 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

national customs or individual character, forfeits the attentions 
of mankind, the man is only indirectly to blame. 

FRAUENBUND. 

// hiozdedge he the mark, to know thee shall suffice; 
Well learned is that tongue, that well can thee commend; 
All ignorant that soid, that sees thee without ivonder. 
— Love's Labor's Lost: IV, 2. 

Throughout Germany the women are at the present time 
making strong efforts in the right direction with their wom- 
en's association — Frauenbund — and they certainly receive the 
aid and encouragement of their husbands; for we never hear 
or read of any opposition made by the men. Every winter 
there are university extension courses, as we may call them, 
courses of lectures given by university professors under the 
auspices of the Frauenbund, and these are well patronized by 
the women, the men being of course very conspicuous through 
their absence. This Frauenbund is a large, important organ- 
ization, with branches in every large city. Meetings are held 
monthly, when topics of interest to women are discussed and 
frequently women lecturers from other cities are invited to 
talk, and a general annual conference, with representation from 
all of Germany, also takes place. Although Germany has not 
yet any universities for women only, the universities, most 
of them, if not all, have lately begun to admit women to the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 141 

various courses, and young women can now be matriculated 
and have in every respect the full rights of the men students; 
even at the great Kaiser-commers, or beer-festival, they have 
special tables reserved for them. All these noble efforts on the 
part of the women will serve a permanent and lasting good, 
as by elevating themselves they will unquestionably raise also 
the general social condition of Germany and help in their own 
way to make Germany a most powerful factor for good 
throughout the world. 

GERMAN MEN. 

Germans are honest men. 

— Merry Wives of Windsor : IV, 5. 

That the women are, nevertheless, treated with courtesy 
and respect by the men will be evident to any one who attends 
social functions in Germany. 

The German young men are certainly courteous, obliging, 
gallant gentlemen in all their attentions to the young women, 
and apparent lack of attention will on close investigation in 
all probability be found to be due to conventionalities and cus- 
toms, perhaps many generations old and under which they have 
been born. In street cars and elsewhere they are accustomed 
to give up their seats to standing ladies, and we certainly can 
not claim that that is always done in America by our young 
men. 



142 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

The German boys are taught and practise courteous, 
respectful conduct from youth up. It is not an uncommon 
sight to see even the smallest boys raise their hats to ladies and 
to their superiors in a manner that would be becoming to an 
older person; and they are not to blame if in their more 
mature life it is not permitted to them, because of deeply- 
ingrained national habits and customs, to continue these 
attentions. 

It is but natural for us to be all wrought up when we read 
in our periodicals now and then articles written by travelers 
about the slavery of the German women, because the tourist- 
writer saw the women working hard in the fields, perhaps even 
harder than the men, who repeatedly took a short recess to | 
smoke. Horror-stricken we read of a peasant-husband guiding 
the plow most comfortably, with a pipe in his mouth, while his 
wife is harnessed to the side of the cow or horse. If the tour- 
ist had taken the trouble to investigate, which through inability 
to speak German he perhaps could not do, he would in all 
probability have found that the wife was doing that part of 
the labor which she could best do and that the family was too 
poor to own two horses or two cows, and that one was not 
strong enough to pull the plow alone. 

I have never seen such an extreme case as described here, 
though I have traveled all over Germany, even crossing it by 
bicycle when such country-sights would be more readily seen 
than when traveling by rail or boat ; but I remember reading 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 143 

such an account some years ago, which tended to give in 
America the impression that every German woman was an 
unhappy slave, in strong contrast with her American sister. 



the: GERMAN PEASANT WOMAN. 

She is a zvoman, therefore may he zvoo'd; 
She is a ivonian, therefore may he zvon. 

— Titus Andronicus: II, i. 

The German peasant woman is by nature a hard worker, 
and she would feel miserable if she had nothing to do, for 
that would be a burden to her ; so after the day's work in the 
field is completed, the work at home in the household and 
attending to the children's wants keeps her evenings busy, 
while the husband, after the day's work, is apt to seek rest and 
recreation in the tavern, where the peasants all gather to talk 
up the weather, the crops and politics, a custom of spend- 
ing the evening learned in boyhood days. It is of course very 
easy to criticise and say, "He belongs at home with his wife and 
family," which is true, but then his home offers very likely 
no attractions and probably is but poorly furnished, and his 
wife would see so much work that had to be done that he 
would only be in her way, so that if he is not an excessive 
drinker she would prefer to have the evening all to herself, 
for she instinctively recognizes the husband as the head of 
the household and lets him go his way with other men. Here, 



144 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

too, we could easily criticise and say : "The wife belongs 
at home to attend to the children and the household, where 
there is enough for her to do, without assisting at the field 
work, too," etc., all of which is also true. However, we must 
remember that criticism can be cheaply made but cannot over- 
throw old customs which have endured for many centuries 
and for which the conditions of labor, as also the general 
social conditions of country and people, and neighboring coun- 
tries as well, are responsible. The German women, on their 
part, would criticise the American women severely as being 
too lazy and too proud to work in the fields and being, more- 
over, as it were, an expensive luxury to their husbands, who are 
consequently obliged to hire extra help. Of course our Ameri- ' 
can women would resent being called lazy, etc., and would 
rightly declare that such critics don't know what tliey are 
talking about. My readers will readily understand that to 
form any fair opinion or judgment in such foreign matters 
really requires much thought and study in order to avoid bias 
and conquer natural prejudice; and they will probably recall 
the story of the American in London declaring to his English 
friend that what strikes him as so very funny in England is 
to hear everybody call a store a shop and an elevator a lift; 
to which the Englishman courteously replied that when he 
was visiting New York a few years previously it impressed , 
him as remarkably strange that the people should call every \ 
shop a store and every lift a helevator. 



I 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 145 

The German women would reason that hired labor is 
expensive and the income from the farm an uncertain factor, 
so that they must go to work on the fields to do their share 
towards the financial support of the family. If the general 
condition of Europe could be altered this process of reasoning- 
could and would also change, for everything would then be 
viewed in a different light. Our own Southern plantation 
owners reasoned formerly that the South could not get along 
without slaves, that it would be the ruin of the country, etc., 
but we do not hear any language to that effect at the present 
time; on the contrary, we learn that the South is awakening 
to a great era of prosperity even without slaves, and perhaps 
just because of this new social condition. And so it would be 
with Germany and other Continental countries, if some of the 
general conditions throughout Europe could be changed. The 
military system, for example, takes from their homes all able- 
bodied men, and hence the farm work must necessarily in great 
part be done by the womenfolk. Another factor which comes 
into consideration is that there are more women in Germany 
than men, partly due to the many wars. 



146 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

marriage: e:nde:avors. 

So zvorthless peasants bargain for their wives. 
As market-zvomen for oxen, sheep, or horses; 
Marriage is a matter of more worth, 
Than to he dealt in by attorneyship, 

—I Henry VI : V, 5. 

According to the census of 1900 there were in Germany 
27,731,067 men and boys and 28,613,947 women and girls, an 
excess of 882,880 women. This latter fact greatly lessens 
also the chances of marriage, which would explain the tactics 
which we occasionally read about, and of course are greatly 
amused over, on the part of a German mother in her endeavor 
to procure a husband for her daughter. But we must remem- 
ber that while the German mother may like to have her daugh- 
ter become, like herself, a wife and mother, believing that to 
be the aim and destination of woman on earth, such wishes on 
her part are not mere blind vanity, for the daughter is made 
to feel the responsibility of marriage in many cases long 
before the young man makes his appearance, and is taught 
the art of cooking and of sewing as also of dancing, as that 
would enable her to appear to advantage at social gatherings. 
The wise mother will assist her daughter in getting ready, years 
in advance, great quantities of table-linen, bed-linen, and all 
other articles necessary for housekeeping. 

On the occasion of a call at a farmhouse one time I saw 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 147 

so many feather beds and feather pillows piled up in a room 
and several dozen geese in the yard, that it seemed very evident 
that there was an over-supply of feathers at that farm and 
that it would be an act of mercy to purchase a few pillows. 
The peasant woman, however, would not part with any, but 
declared that she had been saving the feathers for several 
years and wished she could afford to keep a few more geese, 
for she could not get feathers enough. She explained that her 
five daughters would in course of time marry, and that it 
would be her duty to supply each with a number of beds and 
pillows. 

In almost every issue of the large influential daily news- 
papers of Germany there will be found a great abundance of 
announcements from young women, looking for a life-partner 
for themsedves or for a friend or relative, who apologize for 
the method employed because they do not have a suitable num- 
ber of proper acquaintances to choose from, etc. And then 
in glowing terms and polished language their many virtues 
and excellent qualifications are stated, one of the most impor- 
tant being the money question, the least amount they can con- 
sider in an applicant or the amount they possess or expect some 
day to inherit. 

Our young men can escort their young lady friends to 
church or entertainment, sit beside them and escort them to 
their homes, to picnics, parties, etc., but such freedom is not 
generally known nor looked on with favor in Germany. I 



148 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

recall the peculiar surprise experienced some twenty years 
ago, after I had been kindly invited to attend a church ser- 
vice by the young lady at whose home in Ileilbronn near Stutt- 
gart I was a welcome guest. I gladly accepted the invitation, 
but as soon as we reached the church she pointed to a door 
and instructed me to enter there, and unceremoniously left 
me to enter at another door. It was hard to understand at 
the moment the meaning of such a strange request, but within 
the church I saw that all men sat at the right side of the center 
aisle and all women at the left, a rule which I learned later is 
observed quite generally throughout Germany, though no 
longer as rigidly as formerly. 

The Germans no longer make it a matter of conscience, 
as it seems once to have been, if they sit on the wrong side 
in the church, and it is not an unusual sight now to see men 
and women taking their places in church, utterly regardless of 
any such conventional rules. While the right side was always 
reserved for the men, there is, however, one church, and as 
far as I am aware this is the only one in Germany, where the 
rule is reversed and the women have the right side reserved 
for them. This church is at Rufach, Alsace, a city in south- 
western Germany, where in the Middle Ages, at a time of 
grave troubles, the men considered that discretion was "the 
better part of valor" and fled from the scene of danger; the 
women, however, took a different view of the circumstances 
iind drove the enemy away and saved the city from destruc- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 149 

tion. The women, fully conscious of the important role which 
they had played and greatly elated over their decisive vic- 
tory, humiliated their ^owardly husbands still more by demand- 
ing as a just reward for their bravery the great privilege of sit- 
ting henceforth on the right side in the church, the side of 
honor, respect and dignity. What else could the poor men 
do but meekly submit to the inevitable? And this custom 
is kept up to the present day. 

An extreme instance of this separation in church is seen 
in the large Protestant church at Freudenstadt, Wlirttem- 
berg, where the men and women cannot even see each other 
during the service, but all can see the pastor and he can see 
all of the congregation. This handsome church is built in the 
shape of two rectangular wings at right angles to each other, 
and the pulpit is at the angle overlooking both wings. How 
would our American young people like such a church ? 

IvEAP YEAR PROPOSAIv. 

Did I not tell yoit she zvas innocent? 

— Much Ado About Nothing : V, 4. 

But let me return for a moment to the question of mar- 
riage in Germany. One experience, which I shall speak of 
here, sufficed to teach me that young women in their eager- 
ness to have a home of their own do sometimes take the initi- 
ative, despite convention^ About eight years ago, at Christ- 



150 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

mas time, I received from America a few hundred dollars for 
a German peasant's wife residing in a village about ten miles 
from Freiburg. Knowing that it was inconvenient for her 
to leave her household to call at the consulate, I accommo- 
dated her by taking an afternoon's bicycle trip to that vil- 
lage, and spent a pleasant hour in conversation about America, 
etc., politely answering all her personal questions. A pleasant, 
pretty, rosy-cheeked young girl, the daughter of the house, 
waited on me in strict accordance with German customs, which 
require that the visitor be served with food and drink. No 
more was thought about this call until, a half year later, a let- 
ter was received which contained very valuable information, 
viz. : That my two little orphan daughters needed a kind mother 
and I certainly needed a good wife; and the writer of this 
letter volunteered the following suggestion: Did I remember 
the daughter at the house where I called in December? She 
is pretty, in fact, really handsome, is very kind to children, 
a true mother to all children in town; is highly respected by 
every one and would make just the right kind of wife for an 
official, as she is too good and refined to be the wife of a 
peasant, etc., etc. Now here is what the writer advised: That 
I call at the village at 12 o'clock the next Sunday, when this 
young woman will be at leisure and walk out alone with her in 
the afternoon, and then take her along with me back to my 
city home, and a trial of three days will certainly convince 
me that she is a most precious jewel and has just the right 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 151 

qualifications to make a good wife. As the letter was not 
signed I could not reply to it by mail, and hence paid no 
attention to it whatsoever. It has never been my good for- 
tune to meet this young lady since the day on which she so 
timidly and modestly waited on me with the best her good 
house could offer; but I am charitably disposed towards her, 
for her efforts, her wishes, her aims were all praiseworthy, 
even though we must smile at the method employed. She was 
in all her feelings and sentiments superior to her environ- 
ment; she did not want to become a peasant's wife and had 
probably no opportunities to make acquaintances nor to appear 
in society, so there was no other way open to her to get a 
husband after her liking than the one she followed, and it 
required perhaps the full half year to develop the necessary 
courage to write. Her modesty forbade the writing in her 
own name and she dared not use a third party's name nor a 
fictitious name; she probably did not even take a third party 
into her confidence. The letter was merely the outward expres- 
sion of deep inner feelings, and every statement was the 
sincere thought of pure and holy innocence. I can only hope 
that these noble aims to improve and to rise above the environ- 
ment of her youth may sometime be realized by her, for this 
modest, ambitious spirit deserves reward. 



152 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

A postmaster's daughter. 

My mind is changed, sir; my mind is changed. 

—Richard III: IV, 4. 

Another interesting case is that of a young lady of about 
thirty years, whose father was postmaster in a small city 
of my district and she his assistant. By indulging a woman's 
curiosity as regards postcards she managed to keep herself very 
well informed concerning the social and business affairs of the 
people of that town, and even interfered in these matters by 
frequently writing anonymous letters. She was finally arrested, 
and her conduct appeared so abnormal that the authorities 
placed her in the psychiatric clinic to obtain an expert opinion 
as to her mental responsibility. It seems that one of the young 
unmarried schoolteachers was especially pleasing in her eyes, 
and his daily calls at the post-office must have been moments 
of great happiness to her, so much so that there one day 
appeared in the city newspaper an announcement informing 
the public of the engagement of the teacher to this young 
woman. The flowers and presents immediately sent by kind 
friends to the young lady were of course welcome, but the con- 
gratulations given to the young man at school and elsewhere 
were not so welcome, inasmuch as he was entirely unaware 
of any engagement. 

At her trial attention was called to the rather amusing fact 
th^t she had even begun tg make special preparations for the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 153 

future, in that her motherly instincts had already prompted 
her to make dresses and clothes for the generation which would 
follow her. Here again the social conditions prevailing in that 
small town and perhaps also a sort of puritanic home influence 
had prevented this girl from becoming acquainted, and she, 
who so longed for a home of her own with husband and fam- 
ily, realized that her chances for marriage were fast disap- 
pearing because of her age, and perhaps reasoned like a child 
that if an engagement was publicly announced the young man 
would be too timid to refuse to carry out her plan. Her mind 
became unbalanced and the professor of psychiatry declared 
that her brain was now so affected that she was not respon- 
sible for her strange actions. How she fared subsequently is 
not known to me, but unquestionably her father received 
instructions to procure a new assistant, whose thoughts would 
be more on her own business than on that of other people. 

THK GERMAN COOK. 

/ look'd Upon her ivith a soldier's eye, 

That lik'd, but had a rougher task in hand 

Than to drive liking to the name of love. 

— Much Ado About Nothing: I, i. 

I can report on one hundred and twenty similar cases, for 
a few years before my arrival at Freiburg the local regiment of 
infantry soldiers was in a body transferred to the city of Mill- 



154 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

hausen, Alsace, and the people of Freiburg all know and with 
smiles comment on the fact that immediately after the soldier 
boys had left the city there were one hundred and twenty kit- 
chen places vacant, for that number of cooks saw fit to imme- 
diately quit work in Freiburg and, so it was claimed, follow in 
the wake of the regiment to Mlilhausen. As a matter of fact, 
a cook in one of the German cities can always be sure to have 
a young man in uniform, whether she be handsome or ugly; 
for, as he is obliged to eat the regular army food, which 
after a while palls upon him, he craves for the dainties which 
he for lack of money cannot buy ; and who but a cook in a fash- <; 
ionable family can so well accommodate him? While she in 
her turn is only too glad to satisfy his hunger at the expense 
of the family, for she wants him to be sure to think of her 
when, in a few years, he is ready to be married; and to keep 
a strong hold on him, she is even willing to lend him some 
of her hard-earned savings, generally never to see them again, 
for *'out of sight, out of mind"; he goes to his home village 
after the military service is over and doesn't think about her 
any more. But as the regiment is still in the city, she can, of 
course, after the grief over his departure is lessened, readily 
find his successor, so to say, among the new recruits, whose 
stomachs very soon also crave for the kitchen dainties which 
she can so easily procure for them. The "successor" will in 
all probability also make a claim on her small bank-account 
and succeed in getting a second instalment because of her 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 155* 

great faith in mankind, which will not be shaken. That human 
nature is even in such matters the same in our own country was 
evident to me in my home city many years ago, on the occa- 
sion of a Decoration Day celebration, when the beautiful 
soldier's uniform had a special charm for the American girl, 
for two young women, proud to have as escorts tw^o soldiers, 
accepted the kind invitation to ice-cream and soda-water, etc. 
In the midst of the enjoyment, however, a friend was seen 
to pass, so politely excusing themselves for a moment to speak 
to him, the soldiers took their leave, but forgot to return. The 
confectioner was very lenient and considerate and appreciated 
the unpleasant dilemma thus unexpectedly forced upon these 
young women, so a mutually satisfactory compromise was 
made, and during the following few hours these girls washed 
dishes for the confectioner, and the debt was canceled. 

THK gi:rman woman. 

She speaks, yet she says nothing; zvhat of that? 
Her eye discourses. — Romeo and Juliet : II, 2. 

In conclusion I will state that the German woman is by 
nature a sound, intelligent, hard worker, a good manager of 
her household, a faithful mother to the children and a dili- 
gent helpmate to her husband, to whom she is perfectly will- 
ing to grant first place in all family affairs. In many cases 
where the man has lost control over himself and has become 



156 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

a slave to dissipation, the care of the children and the house- 
hold and of the husband himself devolves upon her, and as a 
rule she is not found wanting, but is deserving of great praise 
for the quiet, patient, unassuming but thorough and excellent, 
ways in which she manages under very adverse circumstances. 
I recall an incident many years ago where a woman inherited 
about $30 from America, and the husband frequently called 
at the office to inquire about the progress of the case. I asked 
the woman one time, when she called alone, if it be her wish 
that the money be paid to the husband, as her representative, 
to which she hesitatingly replied that she would prefer not, for 
sometimes he found it very hard to bring home money, imply- 
ing that he would spend it in the tavern. As she could not 
very well leave the house I carried the money to her a 
few weeks later and found a family of ten children in great 
poverty, the oldest at work and the others quite young, living 
in two very poorly furnished rooms, one room serving also 
as kitchen, dining-room and bed-room. The noise and the 
activity of the small children made the transaction of the busi- 
ness, signing of receipt, etc., difficult, but there she stood per- 
fectly calm and composed in the midst of the storm raging 
about her, and expressed great gratitude for this little money, 
as now she could get the stove repaired so that they could get 
more heat in winter from it. While this husband considered 
self alone, she thought of the family interests, of the stove and 
of the children's shoes and clothes, etc. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 157 



MR. GORDONE. 

THE MAN WHO BRAGS. 

Who knozvs himself a braggart, 

Let him fear this, for it zvill come to pass 

That every braggart shall be found an ass, 

—All's Well That Ends Well : IV, 3. 

This was a case of a "song without words," or shall we 
say, a song with a great many words, loud, high-sounding 
words of all sorts and descriptions? Here was a man of some 
ability who had, like Mr. Andros, wasted his opportunities in 
life and who understood well how to go around imposing 
upon other people and obtaining money, board, and the like, 
without giving an equivalent. It so happened that he stopped 
a few days at a Freiburg hotel, but not having any money to 
pay his bills, his baggage was taken by the hotel proprietor 
as payment, and he was handed over to the police depart- 
ment. He was, however, set at liberty with the clear under- 
standing that he leave the city within twenty-four hours. 
Though a stranger in town, without money, he nevertheless 
found it more convenient to hire a hack and ride around town 
than to walk on his various errands, claiming afterwards that 



158 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

he was obliged to do so to save time. When the time came 
for him to dismiss the hack the driver naturally wanted pay, 
and as that was not forthcoming there was another oppor- 
tunity for the police to take charge of him. As he claimed to 
be an American citizen and felt that it was the duty of the 
American consul in a foreign country to pay the bills of all 
stranded Americans such as he claimed to be, he received 
another free ride to the consulate, where he gave full vent to 
the braggadocio spirit in the hope of being able to get a loan 
of considerable money. There was not a rich man in America 
concerning whom he had ever read who, according to his talk, 
was not his special friend. He claimed that his wife was 
very intimate with the Huntington family of California, while 
he himself was quite *'chummy" with the Astors, Vanderbilts, 
and others belonging to the millionaire class in the East, and 
said that any amount that I might give him would be paid back 
by him onehundredfold in the course of a few days, as all that 
was necessary for him to do was to hunt up his rich friend 
in a neighboring city, to which he wished to travel. He did 
receive some help at the office, not, however, because he was 
considered worthy of it, but more out of the spirit that prompts 
people occasionally to give the hand-organ grinder a coin — 
namely, the eager wish to get rid of him. To pay for his hack 
rides he pawned with the driver a gold ring, belonging to his 
wife, whom he had left in Paris with his fourteen children. 
He managed to get a little more money than was required to 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 159 

pay his bills, and finally succeeded within the time-limit given 
him by the police in leaving the city for a neighboring town, 
where lived the rich, influential friend who would do any- 
thing and everything for him. 

Two days later the newspapers reported a case of res- 
taurant swindling in the neighboring town, stating that an 
American had ordered considerable food, several bottles of 
wine, etc., and was unable to pay for the dinner, so the police 
had taken charge of him. Our suspicions proved to be only 
too true, for soon a letter was received from this man, who 
had so many rich friends, stating his new troubles and asking 
further help. He was duly informed that he was not in my 
consular district and advised to apply first of all to his rich 
friend, who certainly would not leave him in the lurch. This 
party was next sent for examination to one of the state insane 
asylums, for his conduct seemed to indicate an unbalanced 
condition of mind, and through his irrational conduct new 
troubles arose for him, for the police investigation showed 
only too plainly that what he at his first call had told me was 
true, namely, that he was traveling in Germany under an 
assumed name and that if his real name were known he would 
suffer imprisonment for being a deserter from the German 
army. 

Judging from his letters sent from the asylum, his expe- 
riences were anything but pleasant, for, being deprived of his 
liberty was something he could hardly endure. I never learned 



i6o Faces and Phases of German Life. 

particulars about his future career, and his rich acquaintances 
failed to inquire about him, as did also the wife and multi- 
tude of children. A few months later the hackman called to 
learn what he should do with the ring, for Mr. Gordone had 
made no efforts to redeem it, though a jeweler had estimated 
its value at several times the amount due him. 

THE GE:RMAN soldier. 

Go to the wars, would yoii? Where a man may serve 
seven years for the loss of a leg, and have not money enough 
at the end to buy him a zvooden one? — Pericles: IV, 6. 

To a foreigner visiting Germany, it matters not w^iether 
it be the first visit or the twentieth, the one thing which strikes 
his attention immediately is the German soldier, a conspicuous, 
generally attractive, individual, to be met with in every city 
at all hours of the day, whether it be on the street in strict 
disciplinary duty, or in the tavern enjoying himself when off 
duty. If the tourist has already visited other European coun- 
tries, he will involuntarily make a comparative study of the 
German soldier and the soldiers of France, Austria, Italy, etc., 
and unquestionably be impressed by the great superiority of 
the German soldier over all others. Neither will it be neces- 
sary to tell him that in Germany there is the best trained army 
in the whole world, for he will feel it, he will see it, and he 
will know it. The snap and vigor, the life, the military bear- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. ]6l 

ing and character, whether in a regiment or in an individual 
soldier will give him the impression that, w^hile in other coun- 
tries the soldier's life appears to be a mere routine of duties 
to be performed, in Germany it is an art, a profession, a trade 
brought to the fine exactness and perfection of a science, and 
he will realize that all of Germany is actually one large mili- 
tary camp, in which every individual is most perfectly schooled 
in this important trade or profession. No matter how back- 
ward the soldier may have been at school or at his ordinary 
labor there can be no excuse accepted here for not becoming 
an expert in the science of soldiery, if he is found physically 
and mentally qualified to be mustered into the army; and the 
keynote of the whole military system is : strict orders, implicit 
obedience. Of the individual soldiers we may say, in the 
words of Tennyson: 

'^Theirs not to make reply. 
Theirs not to reason why; 
Theirs but to do or die." 

It matters not how arbitrary a young man may have been 
at home, as soon as he has been enrolled in the active army his 
will counts for naught, his individuality becomes lost, and he 
is soon made to feel that he is only a small particle in a 
great system of machinery, in which all parts must work 
together without the slightest friction, and that there is a 
severe penalty for disobedience, that neither threats nor vio- 



i62 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

lence will avail him anght, and that a spirit of misconduct will 
certainly be brought to absolute submission within a short time 
and a greater degree of severity shown to prevent a new out- 
break of disorder. The penalties imposed are likely to be extra 
hard duties for a few weeks or solitary confinement, if neces- 
sary, on bread and water in a dark cell, which latter is prob- 
ably similar to the one at the Freiburg penitentiary, where 
there is not the slightest ray of light. As the keeper of the 
prison told me, three days in this cell suffice to bring to sub- 
mission the most refractory prisoner. 

As a most accurate record is kept of every individual, the 
value and importance of having been a good, obedient, faith- 
ful soldier is experienced a few years later, when the young 
man may perhaps desire to receive an appointment under the 
government. Then the authorities declare that if a man is 
not faithful in preparing to become a national defender, the 
fatherland has no use for him in any civil appointment. This 
applies to all positions, and is under certain circumstances 
taken into account in the appointment even of janitor or street 
cleaner. No man with a poor military record can ever expect 
to get a situation in any capacity whatsoever on the state rail- 
roads or in the post office or as policeman or in any of the 
professions. As long as he lives that bad military record will 
be an ever-present, haunting ghost, or sword of Damocles, 
hanging over him. 

The influence and importance of the military system in 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 163 

all German affairs; its evident superiority over anything else 
throughout the country ; the awe, respect and fear felt towards 
it among all classes of inhabitants, will be readily recognized. 
It is not to be wondered at that the false ''Captain of Copenick" 
a few years ago succeeded in his great bluff game of impos- 
ing on soldiers, on policemen and on the civil authorities, all 
of which respected his every order. He was thus enabled to 
seize the town funds, and the whole world laughed at the 
"simple-mindedness" of the mayor. And yet the poor mayor 
could not have done differently ; he would not dare to disobey 
orders. With such power and such great influence, is it 
a wonder that the uniform, the helmet and the musket are, as 
it were, worshipped in Germany? Is it a wonder that to 
receive the attentions of a man in army uniform is not only 
the dream of the servant in the kitchen, but likewise the ambi- 
tion of the young lady of the house, whose good fortune it has 
been to be introduced to one of the lieutenants ? And woe unto 
her if it turns out later that she has not sufficient property to 
satisfy the necessities of his station in life; for a German army 
officer can not marry a poor girl, even if he loves her, not 
even if he were willing to be ostracized by his fellow officers. 
The law does not directly forbid the lieutenant's marriage 
to a poor girl, and probably if he himself is a man of wealth 
he can do just as he please, but the law instructs the girl's 
father or guardian to deposit a certain amount — 60,000 marks 
was told me — in government papers before a license to marry 



164 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

can be granted, thus guaranteeing a sure income to the lieu- 
tenant, whose salary as officer is not large and is sometimes 
merely nominal ; for there are so many officers in the German 
army, and it would hardly be wise to increase the taxation 
merely for the purpose of raising salaries. These young offi- 
cers well understand that the laws uphold their station in 
life and that they are in themselves in great demand, and 
hence there are many who give themselves no care regarding 
the debts which they contract, expecting that the payment of 
the same will be one of the self -assumed obligations of the 
future father-in-law. If one of the creditors insists on being 
paid, and perhaps makes it disagreeable for the young officer, 
he would forever be boycotted by the whole brotherhood of 
military men; so there is likely to be no check placed on the 
career of a spendthrift lieutenant. But the creditors keep 
themselves well posted on the whereabouts of the officer, his 
transfers from place to place, promotions, etc., and generally 
make themselves known at the time his marriage is to take 
place, when they receive their money, with interest added. Such 
experiences recall that of the American tailor in an Eastern 
university city who for twenty years examined the lists of vis- 
itors at every commencement, in the hope of seeing the name 
of a certain alumnus who had left town at the time of his grad- 
uation, still owing for several suits of clothes. But this man 
never attended any of his class reunions, and so the creditor 
was not able to lay hands on him. By mere chance, however, 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 165 

he read a newspaper item pertaining to the nomination of this 
man for governor in one of our Western States; he clipped 
the article and sent it by mail, with a statement of the indebt- 
edness, and very soon after received his money with interest. 

The money, for pay it can hardly be called, given to the 
common soldier in Germany is only about six cents a day, 
besides the rations, and we can consider it simply in the light 
of pin-money, for extras which he might care to buy, as 
tobacco, picture-postals, etc. If he comes from a poor family 
and cannot expect any pocket-money from home, it is clear 
that his two or three years in the army are years of great 
privation, and he is only too happy if now and then he can 
obtain during spare hours some paying work. We can under- 
stand that it would be but the natural craving of a man's stom- 
ach rather than his heart which impels the soldier in Germany 
to select as his ''girl" a cook, for such a girl can provide him 
with many an extra dainty, even if he can not visit her in the 
kitchen. He is generally obliged to wait on the street, strolling 
aimlessly about, until at the appointed time she comes for the 
evening walk with him. This evening stroll cannot last till late 
hours, even if the girl has the house key, for severe penalties 
are awaiting him if he returns to the barracks after 10 o'clock 
or has absented himself without previously obtaining the neces- 
sary permit. 

At the age of seventeen a German youth becomes liable to 
military service, and if he leaves the country without return- 



l66 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

ing he is considered a fugitive from the flag, or fahnenfluech- 
tig; he is, however, not mustered into the service until he is 
twenty years of age, when at the time of enroUment he is 
obHged to present himself, undergo physical examination and 
be assigned for service, which for the infantry and artillery is 
now two years and for the mounted cavalry three years. Dur- 
ing this time the young men have to devote their entire time to 
learning the art of war, and for several years thereafter are 
obliged to spend a few weeks each year to keeping themselves 
in practice; for the liability to military service does not end 
until the German subject is forty-five years old. If, after he 
has been enrolled and assigned to a regiment, he leaves the 
country for the evident purpose of evading military duty he 
is classed as a deserter, whether he has ever handled a gun 
or not, and in his absence he is court-martialed, found guilty, 
and if captured forced to pay the fine or serve time in prison, 
and then enter the army, whatever his age may be, up to the 
limit of forty-five years. One of the American citizens of Ger- 
man birth whom I was called upon to help was forty-three 
years of age, and already a grandfather, yet until my deter- 
mined efforts were crowned with success, he was obliged to 
wear the German army uniform and march in the ranks at the 
side of the young, smooth-faced soldiers less than half his 
age, to the great amusement of the town-people. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 167 

THE soIvDier's duties. 

Had I a doacn sons — each in my love alike — / had rather 
had eleven die nobly for their country, than one voliipttioiisly 
surfeit out of action. — Coriolanus : I, 3. 

It is a happy day for the young boys when, after many 
years of anxious waiting, they at last are old enough to become 
soldiers, for to their immature minds it means that they have 
become men and are now in the estimation of everybody really 
men, for they feel that only a man is ever called upon to 
defend and protect the nation, and the thought of wearing a 
tuiiform admired by every friend increases their self-respect 
and is a great delight to them. At various places along the 
streets we see many stands where flowers, peacock feathers, 
colored ribbons, badges, imitation medals, army pins, etc., are 
offered for sale by peddlers, and these are bought by the boys 
as far as their capital lasts, and the gaily-colored, self -decorated 
individuals go about town and into the taverns, loudly sing- 
ing and rejoicing, happy and contented, only after a few weeks 
of real service to sing a different song, for they then wear the 
face of a man with care and responsibility resting on him. The 
service means strenuous, wearisome exertions before the raw 
recruits have acquired the desired military step and the proper 
bending of the knee, etc. ; and many an under-officer has his 
patience overtaxed in getting a little flexibility into the men 
he is obliged to train, who, like the proverbial sturdy oak, have 



i68 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

grown their own way and can with difficulty be bent. The law 
is, however, more inflexible than the men, and their muscles 
and cartilages must submit, for there is no way out of it. It 
is then that they get their first taste of army life, and feel that 
they no longer can do as they please; they cannot rest when 
tired, they cannot remonstrate, they must not suggest, they 
dare not even intimate that they are tired ; they simply have to 
do as they have been commanded to do, and the least oppo- 
sition or contrariness will be immediately and severely pun- 
ished. Perhaps they at home were independent, arrogant, firm 
and unyielding ; but they are now made to feel their utter insig- 
nificance and they are really only small drops in a big bucket 
of water, obliged to move along lines governed by laws as 
inflexible as the law of gravity. 

The service is undoubtedly hard; the statements of every 
soldier prove this, and the fact that there are so many deser- 
tions before and after beginning the service would indicate it 
also. That the duties are sometimes even objectionable those 
in the cavalry or artillery regiments will affirm, for what 
young man cares for a Spartan training, which obliges him to 
clean out the stable with his hands, the luxury of a pitchfork 
or a shovel being denied him, because of the rule that in time 
of peace it is well to prepare for war, and the training neces- 
sary to do work without these aids is expected to begin in 
time of peace? That some commanding officers understand 
that the self-respect of their men is not increased through such 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 169 

objectionable requirements was specially and favorably com- 
mented on by the German newspapers only a short time ago, 
which praised one general, who had declared that henceforth 
all men in his regiment should have the necessary implements 
to aid them in the performance of their respective duties. 

But although the military duties are very severe and try- 
ing, they are not required of such as are suffering from physi- 
cal disabilities, which would make it unwise or dangerous for 
them to undergo these great exertions; and proper leniency 
and consideration are shown them, and if the welfare and 
support of the family depend on the young man he may also 
be excused, but all such special cases will be carefully investi- 
gated by the proper officials and considered separately, each 
on its own individual merits. 

At the fall manceuvres there are each year cases of death 
due to overexertion, but we must remember that the percentage 
is exceedingly small and the deaths may have been due to 
organic troubles, of which perhaps the party himself was not 
aware; or they may have been caused by dissipation. The 
training to become a soldier is no child's play, and is con- 
ducted in Germany with the same thoroughness that is mani- 
fested towards everything. And the feeling is not simply 
*'In time of peace, prepare for war," but also "In time of 
peace act as if it were real war," the tendency of which is 
to make of the Germans a race of warriors ; while it becomes 
a question of the survival of the fittest, whether it apply to 



lyo Faces and Phases of German Life. 

the soldiers, to the horses or to the inanimate equipments and 
materials. At the ordinary regular field practice the artillery 
horses, for example, may be obliged to haul the heavy cannon 
up a steep hill or incline at a most terrific speed, as if it were 
at the time a question of life and death. To the military mind 
it matters not if a valuable horse is entirely used up or material 
damage done, for the state will compensate the farmer for 
losses or damages to his cultivated fields, and will replace the 
horses that succumb. This practice may be hard on the indi- 
vidual man and beast, but the value of this philosophy to Ger- 
many was seen in 1870, for Germany was then thoroughly 
prepared for the great task before her, and the intelligent 
moves which were then made in this great game of chess won 
for her the admiration and fear of the whole world, and 
showed that she was an expert in the art of war. That great 
war served a double purpose, for not only did it unify the 
country and create a new, powerful empire, but especially did 
it serve to disclose to her her own weaknesses and deficiencies, 
which she has now had ample time to correct, and so stands 
before the world to-day with the same vigor, ability and 
determination, but a far greater degree of efficiency. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 171 

THE SII.ENCKD POWER BEHIND THE THRONE. 

Wherever the bright sun shall shine. 

His honor, and the greatness of his name, 

Shall be, and make nezv nations; he shall flourish. 

And like a mountain eedar, reach his branches 

To all the plains about him.— Our children's children 

Shall see this, and bless heaven. 

—Henry VIII : V, 4. 
As experience is ever the best teacher, we can properly 
claim that the real teacher, who trained Germany to great- 
ness, was sad experience, and tliat her present greatness, which 
the whole world regards with eyes of wonder and envy, is due 
to one whom the Germans to this day despise and with few 
exceptions hate with the deepest feelings of contempt ; a genius, 
a noble master mind such as the world rarely sees ; one who 
opened Germany's eyes to all her weaknesses and paved the 
way for her future greatness ; one who would have made the 
whole world great without bloodshed if the world had given 
him just one chance; whose only real ambition was, for a 
peace, denied him; whose efforts for universal peace would 
have been appreciated as long as human beings grace or dis- 
grace this earth ; to whose mind his own great victories, gained 
at terrible cost, would have been the most convincing lesson 
against war — namely, 

Napgi^eon Bonaparte, 



172 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

whom a Waterloo and a St. Helena could annihilate, but 
never subdue. 

It was not a disgrace to suffer defeat from such a master 
mind as Napoleon, but it deserves the highest recognition to 
survive such a crushing blow, and within so short a time to 
spring up, like the Phoenix bird of old, out of her own ruins, 
a stronger, nobler, more vigorous and more united Germany, 
as yet a great way from the zenith of her power and influence 
— which is yet to come. 

It was Napoleon who humiliated Prussia before the world 
and rendered her so helpless that her recovery was extremely 
doubtful. But in those dark days, only a century ago, Prussia 
had at her head true and noble men, to whom personally a 
most terrible defeat was not a defeat at all, but, on the con- 
trary, an event from which in time the greatest advantages 
would be gained. 

It was through these great minds that the military system 
of Prussia was organized on an entirely new basis, with a 
distinct object in view : To get rid of the invader and become 
free. These clear-thinking, far-sighted men and their worthy 
successors carefully studied the conqueror and his ways, and 
made intelligent moves, quietly and unostentatiously, but phil- 
osophically, and never blindly, on the great chessboard of 
Europe, until, with gigantic and terrific moves, made with 
lightning rapidity, in three great and important wars, which 
caused the whole world to tremble and concentrate its eyes on 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 173 

Central Europe in silent wonder, a most brilliant checkmate 
was called, and the ignominious defeat of 1807 became the 
glorious victory of 1870, and the German Fatherland, the 
day-dream of the poets and the dream of every true patriot 
for generations, was a reality. 

It was the old Napoleonic enthusiasm, the spirit which 
knows only success, that pervaded the German army and led 
to victory; in true Napoleonic style the various battles of 
those memorable campaigns had been planned, fought and 
won; EVERY officer in that well-ec[uipped German army had 
been trained to be a Napoleon, and was thoroughly prepared 
to do his duty. 

The humiliation suffered by France, when in the royal pal- 
ace at Versailles the German Empire was founded, is indescrib- 
able, but was it not merely the reflection from the mirror of 
time of the humiliating treaty of Tilsit of 1807? What a 
strange tribute, however, to Napoleon Bonaparte, the real 
inspirer and teacher, whose ways and methods had been 
adopted with characteristic thoroughness and with absolute 
certainty of success, that this great empire should have been 
declared on the banks of the Seine, which he loved so dearly, 
and in the immediate vicinity of that beautiful tomb where he 
lies in the silence of death. 

This vast empire, a most powerful factor for universal 
peace, stands before the world to-day like a sturdy young oak- 
tree, strong and immovable, vigorous and still growing, a suit- 



174 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

able and at the same time unique and wonderful monument 
to the memory of that man. No monument of stone, no 
bronze statue, no mark of esteem and respect whatsoever, per- 
petuates his memory in Germany. But none is necessary, for 
the whole country but reflects the greatness of Napoleon, its 
one-time conqueror, and will for generations to come exert the 
powerful influence in the interests of science, literature, edu- 
cation and peace, which he so longed to do, but which cir- 
cumstances prevented. 

Where throughout all the ages of history do we find such 
a magnificent monument, the -greatness of the enemy's coun- 
try a glory to a deceased hero? 

POWER O^ IvlTERATURK. 

Diirch diese hohle Gasse nmss er kommen \ 

Bs fuchrt kcin and'rer Weg nach Kiiessnachf, 

—Schiller's Wilhelm Tell. 

But we must not fail to recognize and appreciate the quiet 
but nevertheless very effective influence and role which litera- 
ture played in the reorganization of the military system and 
the general uprising in Germany; a fine illustration of the 
proverb, "The Pen is mightier than the Sword." The great 
poet, Schiller, properly called the Shakespeare of Germany, 
was deeply impressed by the unhappy state of affairs in his 
native country, by the petty jealousies existing between the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 175 

several states of Germany, which prevented progress, and by 
the fact that some of the states were even fighting on the side 
of the foreign invader and rejoicing over the victories he was 
gaining and over the downthrow of the other states. Schiller 
wrote his great work, "William Tell,'' at this time, which was 
first played in Berlin in 1806; and during the years of oppres- 
sion this served to inspire the nation to increased enthusiasm 
and patriotism, and, in fact, taught the people many practical 
lessons. This play had a far-reaching effect throughout 
Germany, for Schiller pictures the wanton cruelties of the 
oppressors in the different cantons of Switzerland and the 
simplicity of the people, who only wanted to be left alone 
and longed for freedom, which they knew not how to ob- 
tain. The meeting of the trusted men in the small moun- 
tain meadow, Riitli, far away from all habitations, was 
a practical lesson, as also the hat-scene, the apple-scene, and 
the tyranny of Gessler towards the pleading woman in the 
very moment when the swift arrow reached its mark. All 
these scenes were impressive and touching, and influenced the 
people as nothing else could do. Especially was a great lesson 
taught by the death-scene of the aged nobleman, Attinghausen, 
whose dying words were: "Seid einig — einig — einig." 

Schiller died in 1806, and so did not live to see the great 
awakening, but his "Wilhelm Tell" lives to this day and is 
freely played in Germany every winter, though it is forbidden, 
I understand, to be given in Austria-Hungary. In Switzer- 



176 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

land it is in several places given as an outdoor play every 
summer; this is the case each year at Altorf, on the St. 
Gothard railroad, the town where it is claimed that the hat of 
Gessler was placed on the pole and the people required to 
show reverence to it. 

There were other poets too whose poems inspired the peo- 
ple. Among these may be mentioned Arndt, whose poem, 
"Was ist des Deutschen Vaterland?" teaches that the father- 
land of the German includes every place where the German lan- 
guage is spoken, and serves its purpose even to this day. 



pre:pare:d i^or peace;. 

O War, thou son of hell. 

—II Henry VI : V, 2. 

The above are some of the influences which tended to 
arouse Germany to thought and action, so that this most 
perfect military organization of the army, and quite recently 
of the navy, was seen to be an absolute necessity. It was this 
perfect system which made Germany great among nations, and 
it is this military system which keeps Germany great in the 
estimation of other nations. Those kind friends of humanity 
who sincerely believe that disarmament throughout the civi- 
lized world will mean international peace must take into full 
consideration tlie fact that the Germans well realize what their 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 177 

military system has done and continues to do for them, that 
no nation can instruct her in that matter, and that under no 
circumstances would Germany let herself become an unpro- 
tected country surrounded on all sides by jealous neighbors. 
Until Germany has become the one large powerful empire in 
Central Europe, extending from the Baltic Sea to the Bos- 
phorus, which it is her ambition to become, she cannot agree 
to remain unprepared for war. Then her very size will be 
a guarantee of peace, for the same reason that with us, the 
I greatness of our country assures peace to us and gives us 
i the power to make and keep peace among other nations. Then 
the great factors of peace, manufactures and commerce, will 
be still more furthered, and these expensive and extensive prep- 
arations for war will be a thing of the past, a relic of barbar- 
ous times; for certainly there is nothing about modern war 
which is in any way consistent with our faith in Christianity, 
the beautiful motto of which should be the guiding principle 
of all Christian nations, viz. : "Peace on Earth, Good Will 
towards All." To be guided by that principle will soon mean 
a cessation of war and warlike preparations, and will mean 
more to the world than a few sentimental words stamped on 
coins. How ridiculous it must seem to non-Christian coun- 
tries and how inconsistent, if two Christian countries actually 
engage in war against each other, the one proclaiming, *'In 
God we Trust" on its coins, and the other, like Germany, tell- 
ing the world in advance that God is on her side, by stamping 



178 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

"Gott mit uns" on her coins, and yet the underlying thought 
and aim of their respective rehgions is 'Teace and Good Will." 



MIUTARY DISCIPUNK. 

We have strict statutes and most biting lazvs. 

— Measure for Measure : I, 4. 

But another word concerning the soldier : The sound, thor- 
ough discipline in the German army is oftentimes a blessing 
in disguise to such who previously amounted to nothing, and 
perhaps were a burden to their parents, for they have thereby 
acquired a certain degree of agility, not only physical, but 
also mental. Many who at school and in the home had been 
classed as incorrigibles are, even if against their will, forced 
to learn by hard experience to exercise control over them- 
selves; some whose existence in a dreary country town was; 
a most stupid monotony, got in this way variety, push andl 
energy thrust into their simple lives. On the other hand,, 
where so many men developing into manhood with morals 
perhaps not yet fixed are housed together, it can readily be 
supposed that some, coming from pure, upright Christian) 
homes, learn many of the habits of wicked companions, withi 
whom they can not help associating, and are accordingly the 
worse off. 

All young men do not have to serve two or three years, 
for such who have in their school work received the education! 



I 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 179 

necessary to pass a certain state examination, which indicates 
a better trained mind, can enter the army as ''one-year vol- 
unteers." These do not have to sleep in the barracks, but can 
take rooms in town at their own expense, and they also have 
to provide for their own board and get along without army 
pay. Although they are obliged to serve only one year in 
the army, they are nevertheless held to strict account as 
regards the various army regulations, and if discovered violat- 
ing any they are severely dealt with, as this incident will 
show: A mother of a ''one-year volunteer" told her story 
to me a few years ago, for she was conscience-stricken at hav- 
ing brought upon her son three days' "Arrest," which means 
prison cell. She lived out of town, and was visiting him, and 
he had accompanied her to her hotel after 10 o'clock, the hour 
when all good soldiers should be at home. Unfortunately for 
him, he was discovered by his under-officer, who had given 
him no permission to be out after 10 o'clock, and was reported 
by him. The mother visited headquarters to plead for her 
boy, even suggesting that she go into the prison cell, for it 
was her fault that he had violated one of the regulations; but 
all her entreaties availed her nothing, for the commander 
insisted on disciplining her son. 



i8o Faces and Phases of German Life. 

COURTESY OF ARMY OFI^ICER. 

Yet looks he like a king; behold his eye 
As bright as is the eagle's, lightens forth 
Controlling majesty. — Richard II : III, 3. 

The impression a person gets of the German army officer 
is that he is severity personified; but if met with in society, 
he will be found to be quite human, and no less anxious to 
enjoy himself than the rest of mankind. On such occasions 
he may even be on perfectly easy terms of brotherly friend- 
ship with men of his company, who on the next day may appear 
before him at drill exercises standing rigid as a beanpole, 
listening to his every command, which they dare not disobey. 

I shall never forget the kind courtesy of one high army 
officer, a major of the staff of His Royal Highness the Grand 
Duke of Baden, with whom I had the pleasure of becoming 
acquainted at a social gathering. It was at the time of the 
great manoeuvres one fall, in the neighborhood of Freiburg, 
when the Grand Duke was personally present. The exercises 
of the day were at an end and every one was returning to 
the city, when all at once the road was cleared, for the ruler 
of Baden was coming. This stately Grand Duke, at the time 
about seventy-five years of age, one of the grandest and 
noblest of rulers of history, passed by slowly on horseback, 
cheered by a most loving and respectful people; at his imme- 
diate right side rode the above-mentioned officer, whose sharp 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 181 

eye singled me out among the crowd of thousands. Instead of 
a mere slight act of recognition in passing or no recognition at 
all, which under the circumstances would have been considered 
proper, he reached out his hand, beckoned to me and insisted 
that I shake hands. The whole episode lasted only a moment, 
but it was a pleasant act of courtesy which can never be for- 
gotten, although I have never met this officer since that day, 
for he was soon after transferred to Berlin. 



CONSUI.AR PROTKCTION. 

But ril he protector over him. — II Henry VI : IV, 2. 

An American consul in Germany is frequently called upon 
to protect naturalized American citizens, who emigrated from 
Germany without serving in the army, or perhaps deserted. 
These men usually feel perfectly secure, for after five years 
of residence in the United States they become citizens, and 
believe that now their native country has no longer any claims 
on them. According to the treaties, however, between the 
United States and the several states of Germany, such citizens 
who have not performed their military service before emigrat- 
ing are liable to fines and imprisonment. These treaties all 
date back to the year 1869, a year or more before the founding 
of the German empire, and are not all alike ; moreover, there is 
no treaty which in any respect includes Alsace-Lorraine, the 
Imperial province acquired from France in 187 1. It is hardly 



i82 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

wise for a young German to emigrate for the purpose of 
evading military service, for while two years may seem a 
very long time, looking forward, they certainly seem a very 
short time, looking backward, and it is better for him, to do 
his duty, so that he can come and go as he pleases, with a 
clear conscience. A careful record is kept of all who should 
have served and failed to do so, and in their absence they are 
sentenced, and the military department publishes full lists with 
complete descriptions of all who have evaded service. More- 
over, each commandery throughout Germany is supplied with 
a copy, as are also all authorities and officials to whom a 
copy may be of service. It accordingly becomes a very easy 
matter to look up any particular individual. At the boundary 
stations, especially at the French border, the gensdarmes are 
always on the lookout for young men of military age who may 
try to visit their former homes. Many a young man, inno- 
cently and joyously proceeding to his native town, has been 
quietly asked at the first German railroad station to step into 
the side room, and after his identity has been properly deter- 
mined, has been placed under arrest and obliged to pay a fine 
of 200 to 600 marks, or take imprisonment of three to six 
months, and afterwards enter the army for a three years' ser- 
vice. In case he is an American citizen, he or his family 
immediately applies to the nearest American consul, who inter- 
cedes in his behalf, and if he is provided with the proper nat- 
uralization papers, the passport alone not being sufficient, the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 183 

consul will sooner or later procure his liberty. I had many 
cases like this to attend to while at Freiburg, a few of which 
may prove to be of interest. 



TWO ALSATIANS. 

You came, I think, from Prance. 

—All's Well That Ends Well : III, 5. 

An Alsatian-born American, who had fought three years 
in the Philippine Army, was obliged to work several weeks in 
a prison factory because he had failed to become a German 
soldier. After considerable correspondence with his family, 
with the German officials, the American Embassy, etc., his 
release was obtained and he was allowed to spend several 
months with his parents unmolested. 

I recall another case of a young Alsatian who, at the age 
of nine years, had the great misfortune to lose both parents; 
he was soon after taken to an uncle in Massachusetts, where 
he attended school and became in thought and feeling Ameri- 
can, for he knew no other country. After coming of age, he 
decided to visit his early home and take possession of a small 
inheritance coming to him from his parents. As he had not 
made his appearance when twenty years of age to do military 
service, he was promptly arrested. However, he made his 
troubles known to me, and an effort was made to get him free, 
and in due course of time he was liberated; but of course he 



184 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

always had the feehng that he had been humihated and dis- 
graced. It was but Httle comfort to him to be told that his 
first great mistake in life was in not having chosen America 
as his birthplace. 

THE DESERTER OE 1870. 

The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better 
part I have saved my life. — I Henry IV : V, 4. 

A peculiarly sad but interesting case was that of an aged 
gray-haired man, apparently seventy-five years of age, though 
really only fifty or sixty years, who for the first time in thirty- 
five years visited his former home and friends. He was 
promptly seized as a deserter, and after several weeks, tried 
and sentenced to six months' imprisonment in the Freiburg 
penitentiary. He was severely dealt with, for he had not 
returned in 1870, when his Fatherland was in danger and 
needed the services of all Germans. At first I was even 
refused permission to see him, but my persistence was later 
rewarded, for soon all courtesies were shown me, and I was 
allowed to see him frequently and also to be present at the 
trial. According to the law sentence could have been passed 
for two years, but consideration was shown him because of his 
broken-down physical condition, and the military officials who 
sentenced him very kindly assisted me in obtaining a pardon 
from his Majesty Emperor William, so that he served only a 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 185 

few weeks of the sentence, and on his release returned to 
America without delay, vowing nevermore to visit Germany. 
According to the records this man had been mustered into the 
army in June, 1870, with the instruction to begin service in 
September. With others he was happy and began celebrating 
this event, but during the celebration a general light arose, so 
that many were arrested and imprisoned, but he escaped to 
America. One month later, in July, 1870, the Franco-Prussian 
war broke out, and he neither returned to fight for his father- 
land at this time of great danger nor did he apply to the 
Imperial German consul to be excused; hence the authorities 
were all the more severe with him and his case was repeatedly 
published in the official documents, as was required by law, 
so that when he became forty-five years of age it was not 
outlawed. His story that he remembered nothing of the past, 
that he had been in the great Chicago fire and had lost every- 
thing, including his memory, had no effect on the authorities. 

A YANKEE: TRICK. 

This is as strange a maze 
As e'er men trod. 

— Timon of Athens: V, i. 

One of the neatest cases which I had to do with, one in 
which the authorities were completely outwitted, was that of 
a young jnan who, at the age of sixteen or thereabouts, 



l86 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

obtained a traveling permit or passport from his home authori- 
ties, valid for three years, giving him permission to travel in 
foreign countries. At the end of this time he sent this "Reise- j 
pass" to his father, who had the time extended for one year, 
and the same was done after another year had passed, so his 
absence from Germany during these important years in a 
German boy's life was with the knowledge and permission of 
the proper officials. He became twenty-one years of age in 
December, and was, according to the German law, obliged to 
appear the following June to be mustered into the army. As 
he had begun to admire and love America, he took oath and 
became a naturalized citizen in February, and during the month 
of May proceeded to Germany and was at the home of his 
parents when the summons to appear at the mustering was 
received. So at the proper time he was present, and no fault 
could be found with him. He endeavored to prove that he was 
an American citizen and not a German subject, so that he 
would not need to undergo a physical examination; but no 
one paid any attention to his words, for each official declared 
that he was not authorized to examine such documents, and 
his continued protests irritated the military officials, who were 
in consequence more severe with him, and accordingly assigned 
him to the cavalry regiment, where he would have three years 
to serve. As his prolonged stay in America was with permis- 
sion, he had in no respect committed any offense, and there 
was as yet no fine or sentence of ^ny kind entered against him. 



,1 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 187 

As he had no special desire to serve in the German army, he 
called at the consulate and his case was energetically taken up, 
with the result that after a suitable time he was notified that 
his name had been erased from the list, but no reason was 
•given. It was clear that he had nicely outwitted the authori- 
ties. Whether he had specially designed beforehand his whole 
method of procedure is not known to me, but it certainly can be 
called a "cute" Yankee trick. 

IN HASTE. 

Why, nozv, blow zvind, s-well billozv; and sivim, hark! 
The storm is up, and all is on the hazard. 

— Julius CcTsar: V, i. 

At another time a young American citizen on a two months* 
vacation to visit his parents and former home again, called at 
the consulate because one of his former school friends had 
advised him to visit his consul by all means. He declared 
that he could not understand how any authorities could give 
him any trouble, for he was now an American and wanted to 
remain an American; he felt that as he had all necessary 
documents he need only say "I am an American citizen" to 
have freedom of action anywhere in the civilized world as 
long as he behaved himself. I made the text of the treaty 
clear to him and from his own story knew that in the eyes 
of the Germans he was a deserter who would certainly be 



i88 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

very severely dealt with if caught, so I advised him not to go 
back to his native city but to travel across the boundary to 
Basel, Switzerland, as quickly as possible and invite his par- 
ents and friends to visit him there. He followed my advice, 
and after waiting until the train had arrived at Basel I 
telegraphed his parents. It was not wise to telepraph before 
the train had reached its destination, for if the telegraph 
operator had any suspicions it would have been his duty to 
report the matter and the officials could have stopped the train 
and made a thorough search anywhere before the boundary 
was reached. The next day I received a postal card from 
Basel and realized that he was safe. After a few days his 
friend called and explained that the officials had become aware 
of the American's visit and had searched every tavern in the 
town from attic to cellar and had for several days watched 
closely every incoming and every outgoing train. But he was 
happy in another country and felt very grateful, for if he 
had been caught and imprisoned for the three months entered 
against his name, it would have been a serious loss to his 
family, as it would have meant a loss of his position in 
America. This man may have the same troubles at any other 
visit to Germany, and so is in a way forever debarred from 
seeing his parents. While we may feel that as an American 
citizen a mere exhibition of his naturalization paper should 
suffice to protect him in any country, we may also ask whether 
it would not have been wiser for him to serve his time as 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 189 

soldier, as was required of him in the first place, and then 
he could feel free to come and go as he pleased. 



EUROPEAN UNREST. 

A peace is of the nahire of a conquest; 
For then both parties nobly are subdued 
And neither party loser. 

—Henry V: III, i. 

My readers must not imagine that the Germans are the only 
nation of Europe who detain strangers, and enquire after 
their papers of identification, their business, etc., for such is 
not the case, as all the nations are very suspicious of strangers. 
The French especially are very suspicious of any person com- 
ing over from Germany, probably considering each party a 
Prussian army officer in disguise; and on bicycle trips in 
France and in the French possessions in North Africa I have 
been frequently obliged by gensdarmes to give an account 
of myself; twice it happened that they separated my daughter 
from myself and questioned each separately to see if our 
stories had anything in common. In 1900 on the way to the 
Paris Exposition by bicycle I was detained for a considerable 
time at Toul, France, for having committed the unpardonable 
offense of taking a photograph of several dozen women, who 
in true French style were busy at their week's or month's 
washing at the riverside. As Toul is a fortified city it is 



IQO Faces and Phases of German Life. 

forbidden to take photographs there and the official hardly 
knew what to do with a foreigner who might possibly be a 
spy in disguise. When he learned that I was on leave of 
absence and was willing to spend several weeks of it in a 
French prison for photographing the washerwomen, he 
changed his mind and permitted me to continue on my jour- 
ney. Such experiences can come to anyone who is enjoying 
a bicycle tour or a tramp anywhere in continental Europe, and 
especially near border-towns. While such detentions are at the 
time extremely disagreeable, for before the officials are ready 
to release the person under examination a great deal of time 
may have been lost, it can not however be avoided and the 
responsibility of this system really falls upon the general state 
of suspicious unrest which prevails throughout Europe at the 
present time, and which it is hard to change. 






Faces and Phases of German Life. 191 



MRS. HADDOCK. 

THE UNHAPPY woman; 

OR, 

BE IT EVER SO HUMBLE, THERE'S NO PI.ACE LIKE HOME. 

You take my house ivhen you do take the prop 
That doth sustain my house; you take my life 
When you do take the means zvhereby I live. 

— Merchant of Venice: IV, i. 

In presenting this character sketch, which we will style a 
"character-scratch," I have no intention of making light of 
Mrs. Haddock's troubles; far from it, for we all have our 
individual trials and blows of fate to contend against, and 
the true man and the true woman are they who with the 
patience of Job try to bear up under trouble and make them- 
selves masters not slaves of it. We ought not to laugh at the 
misfortunes of others; even the little child of five whose ten- 
cent doll is lost or broken has the same deep grief and distress 
as a mother has whose sweet darling babe has sickened and 
died. 

The subject of this sketch was certainly a plucky woman, 



192 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

who had made a noble fight in hfe against many difficulties 
which had crossed her path. Now she was no longer a young 
woman, and in many an undertaking her advanced age was a 
barrier against success. Her cup of sorrow and distress had 
become full to over-flowing and it probably was a great relief 
to her to find some one in whom she dared to confide and to 
whom, she could look for advice. We shall let her tell the 
story of her trials and tribulations in her own words, as far 
as possible, and my readers can then also form an idea of the 
kind of English which an American Consul in Germany is 
sometimes obliged to hear. 

After the usual formalities of gaining admission to the 
consulate, ringing, knocking, etc., a short, stocky woman of 
characteristic German features enters and we are greeted with 
a pleasant "Goot Morning, Mr. Consul! I am an American 
woman of Sherman birt, born in Shermany; I have lift 
[lived] in American ant am dere now tventy-eight yehrs; I 
am come dere as a goot honest Sherman vitow [widow], but 
haf hat trubles vit mine husbant as I am now married again 
two yehrs ant come here for to get from you some atvice as 
to vhat I better do unt vhere mine husbant now is." 

Consul: "Yes! and " 

Woman: ''We all make meestakes in our lifes unt when I 
married again I see now how I also makes such a meestake, 
mine husbant he makes avay vit all mine money ant says: 
'Blood is ticker den vater,' dat he is so lonesome for his childerns 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 193 

unt leaves me, vhen I luf him, ant now vhen I am getting gray 
hairs ant thot I would haf a good husbant ant a nice home, I 
^m left alone, haf lost all de money I haf vorked for so hart 
ant honest, am nehrly blint, can't wash, can't do any needle 
vork enymore, haf no one to support me, ant now Mr. Consul 
I am come to you for atvice about dis truble I haf vit mine 
husbant." 

Consul : *'It is difficult to advise in this case, for " 

Woman: ''You are right, Mr. Consul, it is hart to know 
vhat to do, but you see, I vants to know shust vhere mine 
husbant is shust now; last I knowed of him he vas vorking 
in Vest Virginny, dat you know is a tunnel country vit poor 
peeples — but may be you don't know ennyting about dis 
country." 

Consul : "Oh ! Thank the Lord ! I am an American my- 
self and " 

Woman: ''Oh! I thot all consuls were Shermans und 
shust vorked for American; den you know New York?" 

Consul : "Yes, I have friends there and have been " 

Woman : "Veil, you see it vas shust dis vay ; I keeps a 
rooming house on 34th street, but I tells you dat is no business 
for a lone-standing good honest Sherman voman to do. Let 
me tells it to you, onct a teatrical voman she comes unt rents 
of me a room for tree dollars a veek und says she brings her 
husbant vit, but de next night she has more company as I 
likes und de tird night some more und den I gets angry ant 



194 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

shust tells her dat I haf a good repertation vhich I shust 
vants to keep tind for tree dollars a veeks can not lose it, so 
she must outgo und den de room it is empty maybe for tree, 
four veeks und I gets no money. Ant so vhen I vas vorking 
hart und honest trying to lif I meets a nice very fine American 
shentleman, who vas getting $190 a munt, an inshinear, ant now 
I tinks vhat a beautiful ting to haf a lufly home vhen one gets 
olt — he vas bout mine age, 58 — I puts too much trust in him 
for I thot he would be good to me, his own luffing vife — he hat 
four childerns — he hat a girl 22 yehrs olt, und I thot she 
would be out doing her business, for the childerns were not 
leetle, vere dey leetle been I would not him haf married, for 
had I den spanked one of dem dere would have been trouble 
und he might haf said someting very mean to me — but now 
vhat do you think. Mr. Consul, dis girl she shust lay around 
home ant would not do a blessed ting, ant one day vhen I hat to 
make 16 beds und dis girl nutting I said she could do some- 
ting too ; den vhat you tink, Mr. Consul, her fader, mine hus- 
bant, told me, told it right to me, that she hat never made a 
bed for her own mudder, much less not for me." ^ 

Consul: *'Your husband told you that?" 

Woman: *'Yes, Mr. Consul, mine own husbant he says to 
me: *She never made a bed for her own mudder, much less 
not for you.' Now vhat do you tink of dat? Mine own hus- 
bant telling me dat. But I forget, I must tell you vhat mine 
husbant he did onct. Vhen I comes to New York I vas poor 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 195 

und hat no money und I herd bout de beautiful teater, ant I 
says if ever I get rich und has some money I goes to de 
teater one time; so now one day mine husbant he makes me 
some surprise und he brings me a ticket for de matinee, und 
Oh ! how happy I vas und I trow mine arms around his neck 
ant I kist him ant says dat it vas so goot of him to gets me a 
ticket to vhere I vanted to go for so long, und dat I lufs him 
so for dat fine surprise, but do you know, Mr. Consul, he 
hat bought only one ticket und I lernt afterverd dat he got 
it sheap from a Shew who did not vant to go, so I goes 
alone to de teater, and Oh ! I vas so happy. But den vhen I 
comes back home he has alreaty gone to vork, und next day he 
not come home so I vas worried und tinks he got hurt und 
den I goes to look for him. I vent to de place vhere he 
vorked und I herd one young man say to anudder : 'Oh, say, 
I hates to tell her,' he said it low so I should not hear, but I 
herd all und den he comes to me ant says 'Mrs. Haddock, I 
hates to tell you dat your husbant left this morning und took 
all his pay out vit him.' I was stunned, I vas like shtruck vit 
lightning, for I see he hat vanted me to go to the teater alone 
so he could get reaty to go avay from me, ant I hat put so 
much trust in him. I hat trowed mine arms arount his neck 
ant kist him dat it vas so nice for him to go buy me a ticket 
imd now I sees he has done dat shust to get time for to go 
avay from me, his own true vife, ant I hat tanked him so for 
buying dat tickets: Oh! My! Oh! Ant den later he comes 



196 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

back again to me ant cry, for he vas so sorry ant won't do so 
ennymore, ant like we wimens I forgives him for I had so 
much trust in him, but shust you tink he only came back for 
to take de rest of mine money from me ant now he is again 
gone I don't know vhere." 

Consul : ''Well lady, what can I do for you. Do you want 
to be divorced from " 

Woman: "No! No! Mr. Consul, I vant no devorce, he 
must support me ant be tied to me all his lifes. I cares not for 
him, but I vant no devorce, I am a Catolic womans ant be- 
lieves not in devorcing. But all de trubles it come from de 
childerns, dey vere affraid dat he would despossess dem und 
den ven he saw how de childerns dey treated me he tooks 
dere part und said to me he vas lonesome for his childerns, 
dat he liked me ant thot I vas a good Sherman vomans; but, 
Mr. Consul, you know dat 'blood vas ticker den vater,' and so 
he onct left me for good. Ant vhat do you tink? I hat 
bought him a fine bresent, a lufly diamond ringk for $225, 
und dat he pounded [pawned], so he could get money ant go 
on a spree. Ant he hat one boy, who come home two or tree 
nights early in de morning ant I says dat vas no vay for a 
young man to do, he can never grows up a good man dat vay ; 
I vanted to treat him like a kind mudder ant make a man of 
him, as his own mudder never done, but he shust said I could 
do nutting vit him, dat it vas nutting of my business ennyway." 

Consul: *ls there any property in your or in his name?" 



1 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 197 

Woman: "Dat vas vhat I vanted to tells you bout — see 
here [exhibiting a torn receipt] here I haf a paper I hat him 
sign vhen I gave him $750 for property, some real estate — 
maybe you know vhat real estate means?" 

Consul: ''Oh! Yes! Of course! You mean lots." 
Woman: *Xots, dats shust vhat I mean, Mr. Consul, but 
I am not an eddycated vomans, tho I can write better den 
mine husbant und he is a born American; but den I knows 
right from wrong. Yes, I know vhat is right ant so I tinks 
it vas very nice of me to keep dis paper vhich he signed dat 
he paid me $750. 

Consul : ''Yes ! Don't lose that receipt, for " 

Woman : "Oh, let me tells you, I haf always lififed a good 
honest Sherman voman, ant vhen a girl I vorked hart as a 
servant right here in Freiburg, vould you believe it? Ant 
den I vent to American in de steerage bount for St. Louis, 
vit de rest of de immigrants, who hat to take the train 4th 
class, sheap for ve hat no money. I vent right dru New York 
vidout a shance to see it, to where I vas going in St. Louis. 
Dere I vorked ant earnt $15.00 a munt, how much more dat 
vas from vhat I hat got in Shermany; but de peeples dere 
seen dat I hat talens for fine needle vork, crocheting, ant vork- 
ing out fine tings like laces, you know vhat I mean, ant den 
vhen dey seen dat I had such talens for such nice tings, I got 
to do much such vork und for much I never askt no pay. But 
I must tell you, Mr. Consul, dat I lernt someting else den, for 



198 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

I fount dat I could make money by doing such tings, but I vas 
only a poor honest Sherman vomans ant nobody knowed me 
so I shust callt myself Madame Seaborn from Paris, ant den 
I hat atvertise in de papers of Ohio, Illinois and Iowa ant no- 
body knowed me ant so I make much money; ant den, Mr. 
Consul, I must tell you I did dis in de East too, in New York, 
in New Haven, and in New London I stopt at dat fine hotel — 
you know very fine hotel on the corner — vere you not dere 
yhen dat vas dedicated?" 

Consul : "I am not acquainted with the hotels in New Lon- 
don, but I know those of New Haven, at which hotel did you 
stop while there?" 

Woman : "I can tell you dat sometimes but now I haf for- 
got it, dere are so many hotels dere — you know — but shust 
vhere I stopt dere now I can not remember myself. But ant 
so I vorked in dis vay shust vit de best finest most elegant pee- 
ples in de towns ant never took leetler den ten in a class, or I 
vould not take a class. Ant I haf many metals [medals] for 
what I did, den I vas expert vit de needle; from Galveston, 
Texas, and Houston, Texas, und many udder places I got 
metals." 

Consul : "You really did have many strange experiences in 
life, but what could I " 

Woman : "Unt Oh ! Mr. Consul, I must tells you dat I can 
be plucky too. Yes, sir, very plucky if I haf to, for onct vhen 
I had rooms in New York a nice very fine shentleman vit a nice 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 199 

large hat ant fine gloves comes ant says he is dentist ant vants 
to haf an office room vit me und he opens de leetle satchel, 
you know he hat one, ant shows me false teets and good teets 
vhich he had pulled, and many tings more, so he rents de room 
ant I, I am so happy to tink, dat now I haf a nice dentist ant 
a fine office in my house, but Oh ! I vas not long happy as he 
not set up his office ant yet haf many peeples, so I onct listen 
at de door und I say tings go not right dere, und I knock ant 
everyting is still, und I knock again ant den mine dentist opens 
shust a leetle bit ant I put my foot in de vay ant he squeeze de 
door tight ant say 'keep out,' but I don't care, my foot it hurt, 
but I get in ant vhat you tink I saw, many men ant vomen 
und a gambling place ant all scared vhen dey see me ; dere I 
stand und say vit mine own voice : *Now you all clear oud or 
I call de bolice,' und den I alone drive all oud but I lose mine 
rent dis time. In a few days a nice sweet girl come ant say 
she vorks at Macy's, a great big store, so I feel goot again, 
ant she make no trubles for she come only nights, but onct she 
come not alone but bring a man vit, und den I step oud ant 
say to him: 'No, sir, you can't come in, you stay down,' but 
he say nutting ant pass me by, so I shump ant pull his coat 
und say, 'Stay down, get oud, you shan't go in,' und den he 
turn to me and say : 'Veil, I declare, you are plucky ant brave, 
you are de pluckiest vomans I ever see,' ant den he show me a 
batch [badge] he vear under de coat unt say he vas a detec- 
tive unt haf arrest dis fine girl for stealing und go now for to 



200 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

see her room, unt den I understand dis girl she vork at Macy's 
steahng, und now she go in de prison ant I again lose much 
rent. So you see, Mr. Consul, I haf hat so much trubles, I 
vas glad to haf a husbant und den I only haf some more 
trubles, for he take my money unt now is I don't know vhere, 
so please fint him somehow unt make him pay me sometings 
every munt, etc." 

It is perhaps not necessary to say that each visitor was not 
allowed to take up as much of our time as Mrs. Haddock did, 
but the interview as given is the result of several visits, and 
Mrs. Haddock was allowed full freedom to tell her story not 
only for the hunmanitarian reason that it was a physical bless- 
ing to her to give her mind a much desired relief, but also for 
the reason that during the interview it was very soon evident 
that her disposition and experiences were such as my readers 
might take a keen interest in; hence the more the better. It 
was a great satisfaction to me to trace her husband from New 
York to West Virginia and finally locate him busily employed 
as a shovel-engineer out West in the mines of Montana, so 
that his whereabouts could be given to her, where the matter 
rested as far as the office was concerned; for I never met 
Mrs. Haddock again, so was not able to learn whether another 
reconciliation had taken place or whether she in her advanced 
age was again on the road as needle-expert and Parisian artiste 
or in the more prosaic calling of renting rooms. While her 
life was full of sad experiences and bitter disappointments my 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 201 

readers will probably all agree that she was indeed a plucky 
woman with a great deal of grit and determination and a 
spirit that was bound to overcome all difficulties. 

sample: letters received. 

/ abhor such fanatical fantasms, such insociahle and point- 
devise conipanio7is, such rackers of orthography. 

— Love's Labor's Lost : V, i. 

That we Americans do not all conquer the many difficulties in 
our own language any High School teacher can testify. I 
have even know a Normal School graduate who applied for a 
position, writing his letter on Saturday "nite." He may have 
endorsed phonetic spelling but it was not his intention to fol- 
low it just then. My readers will probably be interested in the 
following letters written by one who said that he had been 
born and educated in the United States and expected to in- 
herit some money from Germany. 
"United States Counsell 

Der Sur 

You must Excuse me for Riting two you But it is my onley 
Way two find out about a Estate that Ritely Belong two the 
famley Witch wose Published in the News Papers a year ago 
fore the arers [heirs] two the Estate my Father wose Exsiled 
from Germanay in the year of 1847 the time of the Rebelum 
and his Gran father cut him of and Disenheared him. my 



202 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

father Surved in the Artilery fore the King his name Wose 
John Doe and you can find it on Record I Supos also he wose 
a Stone Masion By traid my mothers name Wose Josie Jason 
before hur marige two my Father and hur home Wose in 
Herbolzime near the Rine Baden-Baden, if you Can atend two 
the mater fore me I will be much ablige and if you Can Suck- 
seed I will Pay you Well fore it. and if you Can not 
atend two it Pleas Get a Lawer two atend two it fore me and 
Get him two Rite me. I Remain yours very Respeckful." 

The writer kindly enclosed a stamp for **postige" and after 
a few weeks the following letter was received : 

*'Der Frend. Your Welcom Lether Just Cam two Hand 
and I have Riten two Denver two Sum Frends that knew my 
Parencs in Germany and I Dont know if they are in the Land 
of the Living ore not if I hear from them I will Send thaire 
letter two you But I have not heard from them fore 1 5 years, 
all of my Famleys things wose Distroyed in the fier my 
Father had 4 Brothers Left in Germany when he left thaire he 
Joined the Rebles in 1847 and in 1848 he Wose Exsild 
[exiled] By the King, and Disinheret By my Grandfather he 
surved as a Artilery man fore the king I Beleave. My Father 
never talked much, about Germany, ore his Prived [private] 
Bissness Before my mother maried him hur name Wose Josie 
Jason thaire is a Big Estate left on hur side of the house. If 
this Estate Belong Ritley [rightly] two me and my sister I 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 203 

want it. and if it Dont I Du not want aney of it But if we 
are intitled two it Ofcore [of course] Well and Good." 

The above letters were written by a grown man who may 
have grown up without schooling in a western mining dis- 
trict, but who certainly could have educated himself to correct 
spelling through newspaper reading. 

LANGUAGE LESSONS. 

They have been at a great feast of languages and stolen the 
scraps. — Love's Labor's Lost : V, i. 

How much more phonetic and logical the reading exercise 
of the schoolboy was, though the teacher did oblige him to take 
his seat as a dunce, for he stumbled through the sentence 
*'This a worm. Do not step on it" by reading it ''This is a 
warm doughnut. Step on it." He knew that o-r spelled or, 
hence w-o-r-m must spell zvann; and if n-o spells no, why of 
course d-o spells dough. 

It is very interesting sometimes to listen to the mistakes 
which foreigners make in speaking our language. It seems 
queer to have a foreigner ask you most courteously and 
sympathetically when the "carcass" of your deceased friend 
is to be ''engraved?" But if you are wise you will readily 
understand that he is using textbook English, for he could 
point to the vocabulary which defines "carcass" as "dead 
body"; and is he not logically correct in assuming that "en- 



204 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

grave" means ''buried," for if ''entomb" means "to place in a 
tomb" why would not "engrave" mean "to put into a grave?" 
A young German once asked me whether it were possible to 
travel from New York to San Francisco "by vapor," meaning 
"by steam." As the French word for "steam" is "vapeur" it is 
of course very likely that he was "thinking French" while 
speaking English. At another time a German student in com- 
plimenting my daughter because of a long Black Forest Moun- 
tain trip declared that her "sanity" must be very good, the 
word "sanity" to his mind meaning physical health. My 
readers will probably recall the anecdote, now and then ap- 
pearing in our newspapers, of the American general who was 
being complimented by a foreign dignitary. This party in- 
tended to say "You look like a man born to command" but 
really said "You look like a man made to order"; this is 
simply another case of vocabulary English, for the dictionary 
certainly defined the word he was interested in as "made, 
born, create, etc.," and we all know that "to order" and "to 
command" are synonymous. 

THE GERMAN POST OFFICE. 

/ have already delivered him letters and there appears much 
joy in him. — Much Ado about Nothing: I, i. 

One of the greatest conveniences of modern times in any 
country is certainly the post office, but the efficiency of the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 205 

mail system depends so much on the nature of the government, 
the habits and demands as also the character of the inhabitants 
of the several countries that the standard of perfection varies 
greatly. In Germany this standard is high and the post office 
department is an institution to be admired. Although the 
German post office has no direct connection with the preceding 
character-sketch is seems best to describe it at this place. 

The German trait of philosophical thoroughness manifests 
itself very plainly in the post office system and any improve- 
ment that can be suggested is immediately adopted with the 
general aim of rendering satisfaction to all. Americans re- 
siding in Germany sometimes find fault with the slowness of 
the post office, forgetting that in international affairs registered 
letters, money orders, etc., have to pass through several de- 
partments, which would account for any seeming delays. 
Oftentimes they find fault with the bluntness of some official 
or letter-carrier and perhaps they are right in their judgment, 
but generally the trouble is due to their misunderstanding the 
nature and the duties of the official. He is obliged to be care- 
ful not only for the sake of the interests of the public, which 
includes the unreasonable grumbler, but also because he is 
severely dealt with if he blunders, and the position means his 
bread and butter. Who can blame him if he accordingly re- 
fuses to gratify the whims of every patron. 

We Americans may find fault with the so-called tactlessness 
or bluntness, as we might call it, but these men have all been 



2o6 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

soldiers and know what it is to obey and what the penalty of 
disobedience is; hence they follow their instructions closely, 
for then and then only can they feel themselves safe. If they 
had not been good and faithful soldiers with a blameless 
military record the government would not have appointed them 
to these important positions. At an illustration I may mention 
an interesting experience years ago when I expected to be 
absent about a week and had signed a paper at the post office 
to the effect that my registered letters and money orders should 
be delivered to my vice-consul. On my return the letter- 
carrier at first refused to hand me my own registered mail, 
though he knew me to be the addressee, who had a claim on 
such letters, and was in every respect positive as to my identity. 
He simply hesitated because the post office director had not 
countermanded the order to hand my mail to my vice-consul. 

Ridiculous as it may seem this man had a perfect moral and 
legal right to hesitate, for he was expected to obey orders and 
instructions received from his higher officials. 

The German postage rate is 5 pfennigs for a postal card 
and 5 pfennigs for a city letter the weight of which is less than 
250 grams or about a half pound. For domestic letters and 
letters to Austria-Hungary the rate is 10 pfennigs for 20 
grams and 20 pfennigs for a double letter up to the limit of 
250 grams; if the weight is more than 250 grams the letter is 
treated as a package. The international rate is 20 pfennigs 
for the first 20 grams and 10 pfennigs for each succeeding 20 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 207 

grams and for letters going to the United States by direct 
steamer from Germany only 10 pfennigs for each 20 grams. 

The German Post Office is a general carrier of everything; 
it takes the place of our express companies, for you can send 
anything from live canaries to a baby carriage by mail and 
the rate from one town to any other in Germany is only 50 
pfennigs or about 12 cents for 5 kilograms or about 11 
pounds. Persons can accordingly order goods by mail from 
distant cities and any city establishment can supply its coun- 
try customers promptly; so it is clear that the large depart- 
ment stores throughout Germany can do an immense business 
by mail. The post office at the same time will for a small 
fee, a ten pfennig stamp, act as collecting agency, delivering 
the goods only for cash received and bringing the money to 
the sender a few days later, with no further deductions than 
the regular money order fees, 10 pfennigs up to 5 marks, 20 
pfennigs up to 100 marks, etc., and these the shipping house 
had of course added to the bill in the first place. 

The money order system is far superior to ours, for al- 
though we pay our money at the post office, that does not 
oblige the post office to hunt up and pay the receiver. No. 
We are expected to send him the slip purchased and he must 
call at the post office, be identified and collect the money. Our 
way can be compared to purchasing a postal card for one 
cent and after writing the same, mail it by enclosing it in an 
envelope requiring another stamp of two cents. 



2o8 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

Not so in Germany; on a proper blank card you write the 
address of the receiver, also in words the amount of money 
sent, and at the left hand side of this card, specially worded 
for the purpose you state the amount sent in figures and also 
your name as sender, and are permitted to write a short com- 
munication; you pay the post office the required amount and 
affix the money order fee in postage stamps to the card, receiv- 
ing of course a receipt for the sum paid. The post office is 
now responsible for delivering the money and there are special 
money order carriers who take the money to the addressee; 
he receipts for the same on the original card and receives as a 
memorandum for himself the slip with the communication, 
which is torn from the card and handed to him. 

One great advantge over our American post office is that 
you can, at least at Freiburg, Baden, register a letter at any 
hour of the day or night, while in our great city of New York 
you can not register a letter after 8 o'clock. The registration 
fee is 20 pfennigs or 5 cents and double the amount if a return 
receipt is demanded. If you wish a letter registered during 
the night or after office hours an extra fee of 20 pfennigs must 
be paid which is not affixed to the letter as postage but the 
official in charge enters the fee as a stamp in his special regis- 
tration book and immediately cancels the same. 

The Imperial German Post Office is a very busy department 
of the government, and as there are so many sub-branches and 
the work is in the main so satisfactory, great credit is due to 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 209 

the board of management for keeping its efficiency record so 
high. More than that, when the government erects a post 
office building, it is an ornament to the town; neat, substan- 
tial and invariably all that is necessary, with no flourishes; 
while tlie large blue letter-boxes at the street corners can be 
seen and recognized from afar. Connected with the post 
office but under different management are the telegraph and 
telephone departments, which systems are also owned by the 
central government with the offices located in the main post 
office building. Valuable service is given at a low rate, the 
rate for telegrams being 50 pfennigs or 12 cents for every 
telegram of ten words to any part of Germany, each extra 
word costing 5 pfennigs, the address and signature also count- 
ing as words. 

The railroads have a telegraph system of their own, and if 
travelers can not well reach the post office building the rail- 
road officials will send the telegram at the government rate. 

For many years there were private post offices in the cities 
throughout Germany for local delivery only, which offered 
service to the public at lower rates than did the government 
post office ; but these were by law abolished at the beginning of 
this century, the government for a time giving the local ser- 
vice at the lower rate of the private concerns. It has however 
raised the rates again. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 211 



MR. INMAN. 
The: ame:rican cowboy. 

Part I. 

/ think he thinks upon the savage bull. 

— Much Ado about Nothing: V, 4. 

Mr. Inman, an interesting, apparently unsocial and fierce- 
looking fellow between twenty and thirty years of age, called 
one day at the Consulate immediately after arriving in town, 
not only to present his respects to his representative in the 
foreign country but especially to call for his mail, for he was 
expecting money, letters and even telegrams sent in my care. 
He claimed that the money was long overdue, for his father 
was always very prompt in sending the monthly allowance to 
him. He was furiously impatient, for he had already inquired 
at the post office and there was nothing there for him either, 
so of course the only conclusion he could draw was that he 
would find it at the consulate. Subsequently he stated to me 
that at the time he was mad, as mad as any man could be, and 
no one escaped his curses, even I came in for a good share of 
them, inasmuch as he felt that the money, letters, telegrams, 



212 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

etc., should have been at my office waiting for him. An inves- 
tigation at the post office made it evident that he had not left 
proper instructions at the post office as to his new address, and 
that his money had arrived several weeks previously and had 
a few days later as unclaimed been sent to the chief cen- 
tral post office station in Germany. Soon it was delivered to 
him at his own address. 

This man was from the wild west, w^e will say from the 
state of Missouri. He was accustomed to the rough life on 
the prairies and was a wild, untamed cowboy, and if I remem- 
ber correctly had even led the life of a cowboy in Arizona and 
New Mexico for a while. But enough has already been said 
to show the characteristic disposition of this man who was 
always in trouble and generally very serious trouble indeed; 
for it seems that to him the world was not round but angular, 
cornered and many-sided. We can also understand that his 
troubles as a rule were not due to the short-comings of others, 
but to his own disposition, to his own nagging, fault-finding 
ways and methods. Long after he was immatriculated at the 
Freiburg university he informed me that he had been attend- 
ing another German university but preferred to have the au- 
thorities believe him to be an American student recently ar- 
rived from America, for he felt that he was forever on the 
blacklist as regards the German universities, because in the 
North German university which he had attended he had fought 
a duel with an army lieutenant and had received orders to 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 213 

leave the town, though probably not to leave the country, for 
in that case the German authorities would certainly have 
learned of this banishment and would have obliged him to 
continue on his way to Switzerland. On another occasion in 
the northern town he had been challenged to a duel and so had 
the privilege of selecting weapons and promptly chose the 
lasso with the use of which he as cowboy was very familiar 
w^hile the other party knew nothing of such weapons and so 
declined to meet him. 

At Freiburg he was always getting into trouble of some 
kind, for he could never be contented, and his need of money 
was so great that he left tow^n owing various bills even to the 
professors. An optician too had a bill for four pairs of eye 
glasses. When asked why the man required as many as four 
pairs of glasses, the explanation was that he had been obliged 
to fight a duel or a student-mensur and needed several pairs 
for that purpose; so that if in the course of the affair one pair 
should be broken he would not be handicapped through its 
loss, but have another pair at hand. Whether the duel took 
place or not and how many of these eye-glasses were broken 
were facts concerning which the optician was not informed. 

As in the university in Prussia so also in Freiburg a queer 
incident occurred, for which Mr. Inman was himself entirely 
to blame and which caused the police department and court 
to order his departure from the city. This interesting scene 
illustrates the characteristic dare-devil, don't-care spirit of this 



214 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

man and occurred in one of the popular much-frequented cafes. 
My readers will picture to themselves a large hall, finely deco- 
rated, filled with dozens of tables large and small, with groups 
of people, ladies and gentlemen, gathered together in true 
German style to enjoy a happy social evening, friends meeting 
by appointment to take supper or lunch, others stopping on 
their way home from an opera or symphony concert to have a 
little more lunch or to look over the many newspapers and 
magazines which are kept on file; at other tables parties ab- 
sorbed over a game of chess, and at the further end of the hall 
a few billiard tables and students or others busily engaged; a 
goodly number of waiters moving to and fro, people coming 
and people going, and the more or less smoky air filled with a 
pandemonium of noises, the usual sounds when many people 
are engaged in conversation at the same time. All at once at 
one table all become quiet, at the next table also and the fever 
is now catching, for the whole hall as if by magic has become 
as quiet as the grave, and if any one ventures to speak it is in 
very silent whispers ; for at one of the tables a man has slowly 
risen with the solemn dignity of a prominent church official. 
His eyes are closed, his head bowed down as if in deep prayer^ 
and his hands clasped. Everything is done in such deep serious 
solemnity that it is no wonder that all are startled and gaze in 
great wonderment; for what could this prayerful ceremony 
mean in a crowded cafe where people go for jollifications? 
The party who caused the sudden change in the atmosphere 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 215 

was none other than our American friend who in a spirit of 
mischief, but apparently in a very penitent spirit, offered prayer 
in a loud distinct voice, a prayer which all followed most atten- 
tively though with curiosity rather than of sympathy and devo- 
tion. The earnest prayer uttered with the deepest heartfelt 
fervor was a poem of about eight lines in the German language 
and the tenor of it was a feeling of gratitude to God for His 
great goodness towards mankind, especially for having sent 
the world a Moses to deliver the chosen people out of the state 
of bondage and evil which had threatened and oppressed them. 
The second part of the prayer emphasized the fact that the 
world was at present again in a terrible state of slavery so 
that it needs deliverance, and the Lord was implored to deliver 
the chosen people once more and to send another Moses to 
help and guide them safely through the wilderness and start 
them anew on the great journey to the beautiful promised 
land. And when the Red Sea is reached and a passage way is 
opened unto them and they are passing through praising the 
wonders of the Lord, then "Oh Lord, close the trap [klappe] 
and all Christians will at last have peace and rest." Whether 
an "Amen" was said to this startling prayer or not I do not 
know, but after it was finished our young American friend, 
Mr. Inman, in a quiet, dignified manner, with head still bowed 
down and with the air of complete satisfaction which comes 
from having done one's duty, took his seat. There was no 
clapping of hands, no laughter or applause of any kind; every- 



2i6 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

body was dumbfounded over the whole proceeding and had 
not yet recovered from the astonishment when the curtain fell 
on this queer scene, only to rise immediately on the last scene 
of this act, a pantomime or song without words, for at a 
neighboring table a young Jew was sitting. This man quite 
justly felt hurt at this uncalled-for and unprovoked slur and 
insult given unto his race in a public restaurant to which no 
decent orderly person was refused admission; an offense all 
the greater because it was given by a citizen of a country 
founded on the noble principle that "all men are born equal/' 
He waited until the American student had finished and then 
all eyes became centered on him for he arose and proceeded to 
the table where our friend had quietly begun on the second 
instalment of his evening repast; without any further ado 
than necessary he handed him his visiting card which was a 
direct challenge to a duel, and was immediately accepted, Mr. 
Inman presenting his card, which he had in readiness for this 
purpose. He had, it seems, expected a challenge, even wanted 
a challenge and had taken this drastic method to provoke it, 
feeling convinced that some one present would resent his un- 
kind attack on the race. The exchange of cards marked the 
close of the first act of this strange play, and Mr. Inman did 
not leave his room for a few days thereafter, in order not to 
miss the visit of the representatives of the other party who 
as his seconds would call to make all preparations for the duel. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 217 

Mr. Inman — The American Cowboy. 

PART II. 

Here's the challenge, read it. 

I warrant there's vinegar and pepper in it. 

—Twelfth Night, III, 4.. 

The second act of this interesting play occurred a few days 
after the scene in the cafe, but instead of being waited on by 
the seconds and having full arrangements made for a duel, our 
friend was waited on by several members of the police depart- 
ment in uniform, and from them he received a challenge of a 
different sort, namely, a summons to appear before the court; 
and needless to say all his beautiful visions of a brilliant lasso- 
game in Germany vanished. The seconds never made their 
appearance and it seemed to him that the challenge had been 
merely a feint to obtain his correct name, which was then re- 
ported to the chief of police and a complete account rendered 
of the touching cafe scene. 

The third act lacked harmony and music, for it was hard 
prose and discord. At the designated time Mr. Inman ap- 
peared before a German judge and was obliged to recite before 
the court this peculiar prayer, which could be done this time in 
a truly penitent spirit. The judge of course did not dare to 
smile during the court proceedings, but that he was neverthe- 



2i8 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

less greatly amused over the whole incident was made clear to 
Mr. Inman, for one of his friends visited a cafe on the evening 
of the day on which the trial took place and overheard the 
honorable judge, sitting at another table, relate to a friend as 
a huge joke the full details of the cafe scene, which both 
seemed to enjoy. I do not recall the text of the sentence im- 
posed on Mr. Inman but believe that it was to the effect that 
he leave town, which he stood ready to do, for the semester 
was at an end and he was about to return to America anyway. 

THE UNWE^LCOME AME:RICAN. 

Not Hercules j 

could have knocked out his brains, for he had none. \ 

— Cymbeline: IV, 2 j 

To an American consul it is unpleasant to have his own 
countrymen getting into all kinds of scrapes in foreign coun- 
tries, for it not only hurts the general reputation of his country 
but it can destroy his influence too. I recall an instance exten- 
sively commented on by the German newspapers in the summer 
of 1908, where the police of Heidelberg had been called upon 
to scatter a great crowd which had collected in one of the 
streets, stopping all traflic, and found a man eagerly devouring , 
a certain quantity of the filthiest of street-dirt in order to earn ; 
by so doing a dollar or two which a transient American had 
promised him if that feat be accomplished* This American 1 



I 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 219 

probably enjoyed the fun, as he would have called it, but the 
newspapers made general comments on those Americans who 
have more money than they can spend wisely, etc., and un- 
doubtedly all Americans in Germany during that season had 
to suffer directly or indirectly because of the absurd conduct 
of this one. 

THE AIDA ENCORE. 

Thy madness shall he paid zvith zveight 
Till our scale turn the beam. 

—Hamlet: IV, 5. 

Another curious incident which it was told me happened at 
Freiburg a few years before my arrival may also prove of 
interest. It seems that at one of the city concerts in the park 
one summer, during the two weeks when the regular city band 
was having its vacation, a military band from Alsace was giving 
a concert, and one of the numbers on the programme was the 
triumphal march from Verdi's opera, ''Aida." This beauti- 
ful piece of music was played with such effect that an Ameri- 
can present immediately stepped up to the conductor, showed 
him a one hundred mark bill, which he declared would be his 
treat to the band after the concert was over if he would have 
the entire march played a second time. With such tempting 
bait it was of course not a difficult matter to obtain the desired 
encore, and true to his word this American gave the band an 



220 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

excellent time in true German style after the concert, in one 
of the near by restaurants until one or two o'clock in the 
morning. As a mark of gratitude to their kind host one of 
the musicians suggested that they once more show him the 
highest respect and courtesy by playing his favorite piece of 
music, which suggestion was considered favorably by all, who 
immediately proceeded to the national monument on the chief 
street of the city, and there in the dead of night the loud 
trumpets pealed forth in thundering tones the beautiful "Aida" 
triumphal march. Outdoor music at such a time of night 
immediately attracted a number of police-officers, and explana- 
tions followed, and probably later the conductor of that mili- 
tary band was fined for disturbance of the peace. 

THE NOBI.E AMERICAN. 

Hozv far the little candle throzvs his beams! 
So shines a good deed in a naughty zvorld. 

— Merchant of Venice: V, i. 

How much more pleased and proud a consul feels when the 
newspapers in the foreign country speak in words of great 
praise and commendation of the noble, high-minded action of 
one of his countrymen ; that immediately raises the estimation 
in which every American is held. We in America are not able 
to appreciate such facts fully, for we have with us thousands 
from every European nation, and we are all of us descended 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 221 

from one or the other of these nations ; but in foreign coun- 
tries it is different, as the population generally constitutes a 
nation or people of one kind only, and the conduct of the few 
strangers among them will give a favorable or an unfavorable 
impression concerning all of that race or country. 

It oftentimes happens that in a foreign country the eccen- 
tric conduct of strangers is commented on, but any kind, 
benevolent act receives only a passing recognition. It will be 
for all time a most pleasant recollection to me to think of the 
magnanimous conduct of one of America's best known business 
men; and as such nobleness of spirit has guided his actions 
through life, it is no surprise to learn of the great esteem in 
which he is held in the several communities where his busi- 
ness is located, and we need not wonder at the great success 
which has crowned his efforts in life, for there is truth to the 
proverb which teaches us that "Virtue is its own reward." 

About ten miles north of Freiburg lies the sleeply little 
town of Emmendingen, an old city of small size, offering in 
itself but little of interest to the visitor. Like Freiburg, it 
lies at the foot of the famous Black Forest, only a short dis- 
tance from the beautiful valley, Glottertal, which leads to the 
sweet, quiet little villages of St. Peter and St. Maergen, far 
up on the high plateau of the mountains; and another valley, 
the Elztal, to the pretty little city of Waldkirch, noted for its 
orchestrions and organs, which supply the music for the carous- 
sels, not only in Germany, but in America as well. If my read- 



222 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

ers will but examine the manufacturer's names on these instru- 
ments at the various pleasure resorts in America, they will 
undoubtedly find the name of a Waldkirch firm on many of 
them. There is at Emmendingen one of the large state insane 
asylums and also one of the largest manufacturing plants in 
Germany, with its colony of workmen's houses, only a mile 
from the city. Here the fiber of the Ramie plant, imported 
direct from the southern states of China, is treated and spun 
into excellent thread. Near this city is the Hochburg, the larg- 
est ruins in Baden or even in Germany, excepting only those 
at Heidelberg, and only a few miles west is the small mountain 
range of thirty-five peaks called the Kaiserstuhl, with warmer 
climate, different species of flora and fauna, and rocks which 
point to former volcanic origin. 

Emmendingen has a weekly market and from the surround- 
ing towns the peasants come with their farm-products and sell 
and buy. And so on one fair day a peasant and his wife came 
from one of the Kaiserstuhl villages to market, and at noon- 
time were slowly wending their way homeward, eating their 
luncheon, happy over several little pigs, which they had pur- 
chased, and not holding the reins, for with the old faithful 
horse, such precautions were not necessary, when, with the 
suddenness of a meteor on a clear dark night, an automobile 
was upon them, wagon smashed, horse bruised, they themselves 
on the ground, as also the contents of the wagon — pigs and 
vegetables; the automobile also suffered considerably, lamps 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 223 

broken and the occupants nervously shocked. Each blamed the 
other for being on the wrong side of the road. As a crowd 
began to gather, which threatened violence to the automobilists, 
they felt that "Discretion is the better part of valor," and 
started on their journey. They reached Switzerland without 
interference and were soon safe. But here the spirit of honor, 
the real, true manhood, made itself manifest, for, without the 
slightest delay, a letter was written to me from Lucerne, a 
meeting appointed, and instruction given to look up the injured 
parties, who had been reported in the papers as dead, and 
adjust the matter. 

An investigation was made, and both man and wife were 
found at their home bruised and suffering. Acting under 
instructions, the mayor of the town, as also the parish pastor, 
were taken into consultation, and all doctor's bills and other 
expenses were paid, the people received for their loss of time 
one-half of what they considered their annual earnings, and 
the woman, with her little son, was sent to a sanitarium; all 
was at the expense of this noble-minded American, who in 
no sense felt himself responsible for the accident, the first and 
only one he had had on a tour of about 30,000 miles. As 
neither the mayor nor the pastor would accept any pay for 
their services, a very generous donation was given to the pas- 
tor for the poor under his charge. 

Some months later I visited these people, and found them 
fully recovered and high in praise of their benefactors, who 



224 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

had shown such a kind spirit; similar sentiments were 
expressed to me by the pastor and by strangers from neigh- 
boring towns, who called at the office on business; the news- 
papers also commented very favorably on the matter, for here 
was a man willing to take a load of responsibility upon his 
shoulders. 

A close investigation convinced me that both parties were 
striving to tell the truth and that each was fully convinced 
that the other had been on the wrong side of the road and he 
on the right side; also that the responsibility of this sad acci- 
dent must be placed upon the horse, although the animal was 
merely doing his dut}^ He was slowly moving along on the 
right side of the road, and had almost reached the corner, 
where the new road led towards the home village. Instinc- 
tively he aimed for this road, crossing diagonally from the 
right to the left, and just at that moment the swift automo- 
bile came along. There was space neither to the right nor 
to the left, and the chauffeur could not decide which way the 
peasants were planning to go, and so passed on the safer side, 
in this case the left, between the wagon and the three-foot 
ditch. Ten seconds later or ten seconds earlier the collision 
would not have taken place; but then this American business 
man would not have had this golden opportunity to show his 
real, true inner worth as a man, and the nobleness of his 
character, while the people of a foreign country would have 
lost a valuable lesson as to what constitutes true Americanism, 



4 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 225 

THE GERMAN UNIVERSITY. 

What is the end of study f 
Why, that to knoiv, which else zve shordd not know. 

— Love's Labor's Lost: 1, i. 

Without going into details concerning the history of the 
universities of Germany, of which there are twenty-one in all, 
besides other high institutions of learning that would deserve 
the name of university, I will say that the Germans have always 
been a nation of thinkers and philosophers; so it is not to be 
wondered at that these great high schools, and they are also 
called ITochschulen by the Germans, should have been estab- 
lished in Germany, and in so large numbers, too, for a coun- 
try of small size, relatively speaking. That there are so many 
universities is, in part, due to the fact that the several inde- 
pendent states jealously watch over their own interests and 
strive, each of them, not to be outdone by any of the others; 
but religious feelings probably also played a part, as, for exam- 
ple, in the case of the Grand Duchy of Baden, where we find 
two universities, one with a Protestant theological faculty and 
the other with a Catholic faculty. The question of religion, 
however, does not affect the departments of law, medicine, 
philosophy or science. 

These universities in Germany are all state institutions, and 
accordingly the official head or president is the ruler of the 
country, the Grand Duke of Baden in the case of Heidelberg 



226 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

and Freiburg. His Royal Highness is not spoken of as presi- 
dent, but as Rector Magnificentissimus. It is of course out 
of question that the ruler of a country should devote his time 
to the interests of one or more institutions of learning, for, 
naturally, the state affairs would require his full attention; 
so the governing board of the university, called the Senate, 
elects a representative for the Rector, who is always one of 
the professors, and he is called the Prorector; his term of 
office lasts only one year, and then another professor becomes 
prorector and he has the title of Ex-prorector. 

As these universities are state institutions, all salaries and 
expenses are necessarily state matters; also the building of new 
lecture halls or laboratories are matters for the ministry to 
decide and are outlays for the state. It follows quite naturally 
that such great endowments by private citizens as we have in 
America are unknown in Germany. Moreover, the university 
is hardly an alma mater to the student, for frequently the 
student has attended many universities, perhaps a different 
one each semester, either for the purpose of hearing the lec- 
tures of some renowned professor or for the sake of scenery, 
climate, etc., or becoming acquainted with the geography of 
his country ; and so in general the strong feelings of attachment 
towards any particular university are not developed. 

The state takes great interest in its universities, and is glad 
to have among its professors men of great reputation; it is even 
willing to help them in their researches, and make any neces- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 227 

sary financial appropriations. Some years ago, for example, 
the professor of geology at Freiburg spent a year in the Andes 
of Peru and Bolivia, and I was told that not only was a leave 
of absence at full salary granted to him, but also sufficient 
money was appropriated to cover all incidental expenses, so that 
he would in no way be handicapped in his scientific studies. The 
state, in its turn, felt fully repaid in having a man of recognized 
ability and international fame connected with one of its institu- 
tions. About two years ago the professor of Anthropology 
received a leave of absence to visit the German colonies in 
South Africa and study the various tribes and races, and in all 
probability was treated just as magnanimously by the state. Need 
we wonder at the greatness of the university professors in Ger- 
many, their world-wide renown, their close application to the 
study of the minutest details in all lines of thought, when 
they receive such encouragement in their efforts and the results 
of their investigations are so highly appreciated? We must 
not conclude from the foregoing remarks that every wish made 
by any professor is immediately honored, for that is not the 
case ; I have actually known popular professors who were for 
years handicapped in their work merely because they could 
not get the higher authorities to make any appropriations for 
new buildings or enlarged laboratories, etc., so that it is pos- 
sible that what we call red-tape plays a role in foreign coun- 
tries also. 

There are many indications pointing to the fact that the 



228 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

municipal authorities and the citizens generally in German 
university towns take a deep interest in the university and wel- 
come the day of opening; for they feel that during vacation 
times the city is dead. As a rule, every entertainment or con- 
cert offers to students admission at reduced rates; the city 
offers a season ticket to the park concerts for five marks, 
whereas others pay ten marks for individual tickets; at the 
opera house in winter several rows of seats are reserved for 
students, who pay for a single admission the amount which 
others give for one performance on a season ticket. In many 
ways such courtesies and favors are shown towards students, 
and we can see that the feeling is that these young men need 
money, for they have many expenses and no income; therefore 
it is proper to be considerate with them, etc. This is certainly 
a much better and more charitable view to take than the one 
frequently taken in our American university towns, that a man 
must have money to be able to study, and that his father 
must be a rich man, otherwise he could not afford to support 
his son, etc. ; therefore it is perfectly proper and legitimate to 
overcharge the young man, who would probably squander the 
money anyway. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 229 

MUNICIPAI, UNIVERSITY CKlvEBRATlONS. 

Some are horn great, some achieve greatness, and some 
have greatness thrust upon them. — Twelfth Night: II, 5. 

During my sojourn in Freiburg the city gave two great 
celebrations to the university, one on the enrollment of the 
hfteen-luuidredth student and the other when the two-thou- 
sandth student was matriculated; the next great time will be 
in a few years when some fine summer the university can 
point with pride to an enrollment of three thousand students, 
and the young man, or perhaps the young woman, at the pres- 
ent time working and worrying over his algebra or his Latin 
in the preparatory school, may by mere chance happen to 
strike the number three thousand, and will then awaken some 
morning to find greatness suddenly thrust upon him and a 
whole city rejoicing and celebrating in grand style his advent 
at the university. 

The fifteen-hundredth student was an American citizen, 
who had been enjoying himself in the Alps and had been in 
no hurry to begin work at the German university; he accord- 
ingly came to the matriculation late, but the old adage, "The 
early bird catches the worm," had lost its force entirely, and 
the delay, which under other circumstances would have been 
blameworthy, brought him honor and fame and special emolu- 
ments, for the city as well as the university remembered him 
with suitable memorial presents, and a great banqueting time, 



230 Faces and Phases of German Life. : 

with addresses, music, etc., was celebrated in the Sternenwakl, 
a pleasant resort in the Black Forest about a mile from the 
city. The street procession at that time was also very inter- 
esting to a foreigner ; the students in great numbers, those of 
the societies or corporations in their beautiful colors, the pro- 
fessors and invited guests in full dress suits, etc. The cele- 
bration came to an end in the evening with the illumination of 
the magnificent cathedral spire, which on a very dark night 
looks like a huge piece of beautiful lace suspended from the 
sky. 

The two-thousandth student fared even better, for on that 
occasion the beautiful city park was transformed into a great 
banqueting hall, and among the guests were representatives of 
all professions — the city governing board, the clergy. Catholic, 
Protestant, Jewish, as well as the military organizations. The 
enormous outlay was gladly borne by the city, for the city 
fathers desired that all students should feel that they were wel- 
comed, and so aim to complete their studies at Freiburg; for 
they properly considered that with a growing, popular, pros- 
perous university the fame and prosperity of their city would 
be certain. 

We can imagine the fortunate young man in a carriage in 
the street procession with the 1,999 before him, and all others 
walking in his honor; of course happy because of the good 
time they were all having just because of him. But the greater 
satisfaction came later, when the state presented him with free 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 231 

tuition for that semester, and a restaurant with a daily free 
dinner, a clothier with a suit of clothes, besides many other 
valuable remembrances. My fair readers will probably feel a 
little disappointed when they learn that No. 1999 was one of 
the few matriculated lady students. 

The great interest which the city takes in the university 
was also seen on the occasion of the laying of the cornerstone 
of a new university building by the Grand Duke of Baden a 
few years ago when a holiday and a grand characteristic South- 
German celebration were given to the students with the evening 
Kommers or drinking festival at the city gardens. The great 
jubilation, the long continued shouts of joy, the waving of 
hats, the standing on tables and benches, all made manifest by 
the students when they saw his Royal Highness, must have 
impressed every foreigner with the fact that this aged monarch 
was personally greatly beloved and respected by his subjects. 

THE AMERICANISM OE THE GERMAN UNIVERSITY. 

A man is master of his liberty; 

Time is their master; and, when they see time, 

They'll go or come. 

Why should their liberties than ours be more? 

— Comedy of Errors: II, i. 

If there is any institution in Germany which is conducted 
on the true American principle of independence, of doing 



232 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

exactly as you please, provided you please to do right, it is the 
German university; for the German professor is privileged to 
do just as he wishes and the German student can certainly do 
just as he pleases. And while professors and students work 
together in perfect harmony, with the same interests in view, 
still the proper dignity and respect, the relationship between 
instructor and learner, are never lost to view. There is a cer- 
tain amount of absolute freedom enjoyed by every one con- 
nected with the university which is quite noticeable, and it 
makes an American feel that in his own home universities with 
classroom recitations, with roll-call, obligatory chapel atten- 
dance, daily prayers, etc., however necessary all may seem, the 
student is merely a boy and the university a school, while 
the German student is treated as a full-grown man of proper 
responsibility in thought and actions, who must necessarily fall 
by the wayside if he neglects the opportunities offered him, and 
is made to feel thus early in his career that life is really a 
"survival of the fittest" and can only be made successful by 
his working of his own free will. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 233 

the: GERMAN PROFESSOR. 

He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one; 
Bxcecding zvisc, fair spoken, and persuading ; 
Lofty and sour to them that loved him not, 
But to them that sought him szveet as summer, 

—Henry VIII : IV, 2. 

While it is possible for a poor boy to work his way through 
the university in the course of a few years and obtain from the 
state a position as teacher with a fair salary, it is difficult for 
a poor boy to become a university professor. The young grad- 
uate doctor who wishes to lead a university career is obliged 
to make application to the proper authorities and at the 
appointed time deliver a test lecture; and if everything is per- 
fectly satisfactory and his reputation and social standing all 
that can be desired he is admitted to the faculty as privat- 
docent or instructor, but is not entitled to any salary. His offi- 
cial income is merely a portion of the fees or dues paid by 
the students taking his course, and the probability is that he 
will not have many hearers; for there will be other lecturers 
teaching the more popular subjects. I have known instructors 
to have as many as thirty or forty students attending their 
first course of lectures, and others who had but five or six. 
The general rule is that three constitutes a class, a rule which 
was forcibly brought to my attention at the beginning of one 
semester, when I desired to take a certain course of lectures 



234 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

announced in the official catalogue. I was alone in the class^ 
room when the young doctor appeared with the explanation 
that a week previously one student called, saying he wished to 
take the course, and now I had come as a second one, but if 
we wish to take the work we must find a third student, for 
only then would the professor be able to deliver the announced 
course. With a few uncomplimentary remarks concerning stu- 
dents in general, because they refuse to take courses which 
are not required for the final examination, he dismissed the? 
class. 

The rule regarding fees for the university lectures is that 
a course delivered throughout the semester costs five marks, if 
there is but one per week, ten marks if two lectures are given 
per week, etc. So if an instructor or professor has a two- 
hours-per-week course and only ten students, the amount which 
would be collected from these men is only lOO marks, or less 
than $25, of which the lecturer gets only a portion. If, how-- 
ever, he has charge of one of the popular branches with three • 
hundred or four hundred students each semester, it is evident 
that he need prepare for but one lecture a day and have a 
greater income than any American professor gets as salary. 
In such courses as physics, chemistry, physiology, anatomy,, 
etc., where special apparatus is required or the services of an 
assistant are needed the fees may be six or even more marks 
per lecture for the week and term. 

After a successful career of about three years or more a 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 235 

privat-docent may be advanced to an ausserordentlicher Pro- 
fessor. His success would be determined by his popularity as 
a lecturer, by his ability to draw students, by his private 
researches or by his publications. I have been informed that 
while now his standing in the community is raised, as also 
his general influence, yet the state does not always give him 
a fixed salary, but he is still dependent on the student fees. 
The next higher grade is that of ordentlicher Professor or 
ordinary professor, who does receive a fixed salary, and his 
proportion of the fees, besides which are in all probability 
great, for he would have charge of a popular study or one 
which the candidates for a degree must take wdiether it be 
popular or not. 

The German professor is not bound down to the same 
course of lectures each year, unless it be a course on such gen- 
eral topics as anatomy, physics, zoology, etc. As instruction 
in a German university is always given by lectures, the pro- 
fessor can give his classes the full benefit of all his private 
researches which are of course worth a great deal more to the 
student than what he could find in the textbooks. 



236 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

UNIVERSITY CUSTOMS. 

O, this learning, zvhat a thing it is! 

— Taming of the Shrew : I, 2. 

One thing which in the beginning seems very strange to 
the American student is the fact that the German professor 
never begins his lecture at the time officially stated, namely, 
the even hour, but always and regularly fifteen minutes late. 
Perhaps he wonders why the students don't get impatient and 
leave the room in disgust. After a while, however, he learns 
that the professor is really prompt and very rarely late, and 
has probably been waiting in his private study for the fifteen 
minutes to pass, before which time he would not enter the 
class-room. 

The German university hour lasts only forty-five minutes, 
and begins fifteen minutes after the time as announced; this 
is a custom that dates back so many generations that every- 
body knows it, we might say, instinctively, so there is no need 
of officially stating that fact. This quarter of an hour is called 
the academical quarter, and gives the students time to go from 
one class-room to another. During the lecture hour the pro- 
fessor can give his whole attention and thought to the subject, 
for a question of discipline really never occurs, which can be 
accounted for in several ways: i, The feeling of respect and 
courtesy towards one's superiors is inborn or at least trained 
into the German mind from his earliest boyhood days; 2, the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 237 

true student attends the lectures in order to learn and not to 
have a good time creating disturbance, and, 3, a student need 
not come if he does not feel disposed to, and accordingly those 
who would enjoy disorder and noise are not present. 

A professor is always applauded when he enters the class- 
room until he has reached his place and is ready to begin his 
lecture with the well-known words, ^'Meine Herren!" The 
applause is not given by the clapping of hands, but with the 
stamping of feet. If after the lecture has begun a student 
enters the room, disapproval is made manifest by a scraping 
of feet, generally to the great discomfiture of the tardy one. 
During a certain lecture a tardy one appeared at exactly half 
past the hour; but the general feeling of displeasure was 
quickly transformed to one of merriment and tramping of 
feet when the popular professor who had been interrupted in 
his lecture, said, "Gentlemen, he has only doubled the academi- 
cal quarter." 

The German university is made popular among the citi- 
zens by the privilege granted to the men, formerly to women 
also, who are anxious to learn, of being inscribed at the secre- 
tary's office as hearers, Iloerer, paying the required dues for 
the particular courses and receiving the necessary cards of 
identification. 

This system enables a business or professional man, who 
has retired from active life, but who still longs to acquire 
knowledge from recognized teachers of ability, to keep his 



238 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

mind active and trained along the lines of any new discovery 
in science or any subject in which he is interested. In this w^ay 
the people of the town can feel that the university is theirs 
too, and not that it is merely a world within a world, to which 
they have no access. It therefore frequently happens that a 
German professor has as regular attendants at his lectures 
men with gray beards or bald heads or other indications of an 
age fully double that of their instructor, yet with notebook in 
hand, busily employed in jotting down every thought with as 
much eagerness and interest as if they were still young men, 
with a long life before them. 

As these universities are state institutions, the professors 
are in a sense state officials ; hence, after a professor has been 
elected to any chair of learning or has been called from some 
other university, the state ministry must confirm the appoint- 
ment before he can enter upon his duties; his credentials are 
fully considered and especially his reputation as a man and 
citizen and his record as a scholar. I have personally known 
a world-renowned professor who received a call to a prominent 
and influential position in North Germany, but who failed to 
receive the full appointment because the ministry on close 
investigation learned that as student some thirty years previ- 
ously he had delivered lectures which showed a socialistic turn 
of mind, and there was no record of any public lecture in 
which he had retracted his statements or in any way shown his 
regret for making them. The ministry recognized his ability 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 239 

and not long thereafter confirmed his appointment to another 
university, but he was not wanted at the nation's capital, where 
his activity would be bounded by a much greater sphere of 
influence. If some of my readers are ready to criticise the min- 
istry, they must remember that the state exists, and it is a duty 
of the ministry to uphold the state ; therefore it would be per- 
fectly proper to look with suspicion upon any subject who 
would tend to disturb the existing state of affairs. This pro- 
fessor is too much absorbed in his scientific investigations to 
take any special interest in politics, yet it was feared that in 
his private interviews with citizens or students he might express 
thoughts detrimental to the best interests of the state. There 
w^as probably no danger to the state through the appointment of 
this man, but he nevertheless was made to feel that in his 
early youth he had sown his wild oats, and was now reaping 
the harvest. 

The general feelings between the professor and the stu- 
dents are those of perfect freedom and ease, for both are work- 
ing together towards the same goal, the acquisition of knowl- 
edge. The student is left entirely to his own responsibility, can 
attend the lectures or not, just as he chooses, and neither the 
university authorities nor the professor himself look after the 
individual student. If he delays the payment of the university 
fees or fails to report on change of address within the pre- 
scribed three days there is a way to reach him with fines or 
imprisonment, which will stimulate his memory the next time. 



240 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

If the student never listens to any lectures nor studies the sub- 
ject at home, he himself is the loser, and when the time comes 
for him to think seriously of taking a degree he will be obliged 
to work the harder in order to be properly prepared. He is 
never troubled with any examinations during the regular 
course, which is not one of three or four classes, as in our 
American universities, but one of lectures, so that we may 
find a student of the first year and one of advanced university 
work listening to the same lectures. It even oftentimes hap- 
pens that a student takes a certain course a second time, 
either to learn it more thoroughly or simply to review it before 
taking an examination. These examinations for degrees are 
oral, and the candidate's knowledge is tested by hours of 
hard questioning by the several professors, before whom he 
appears at the appointed time in full dress suit If his thesis 
indicating original work has been accepted and he satisfactorily 
passes the tests, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is given 
him, or whatever degree he is a candidate for; and if he 
deserves special praise, this will be indicated on the diploma by 
the words "Cum Laude," "Magna cum Laude" or "Summa 
cum Laude," as the case may be. 

With the freedom granted to the students it is very easy 
to understand how some university boys, coming direct from 
the preparatory schools, with their rigid discipline, become 
demoralized when they suddenly find themselves rid of every 
restraint and realize that now at last they are free and inde- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 241 

pendent men ; these are perhaps ready to put aside all learning 
for a time at least and enjoy life in a different manner, so 
that they never trouble themselves about the lectures. But 
that all are not impressed with such ideas will be evident to 
any one who visits the lecture rooms, and sees not only every 
seat filled, but even no standing room, as is often the case. A 
glance at the desks and benches, however, will convince the 
observer that all do not pay full attention to the wise words of 
the speaker, or else that the mischief was done with their 
knives before the lecture, during the academical quarter-hour. 
Here again the university authorities do not pay much atten- 
tion to ruined furniture, evidently feeling that if the students 
wish to sit at disfigured and cut-up desks, it is their great 
privilege to do so. They, however, make the students pay for 
such fun, for one of these university fees is the "Auditorien- 
geld," three marks, each semester, which is, I understand, a 
sort of rent exacted from each student for the use of the 
auditorium or lecture hall. 

If a young man wishes to be matriculated, he is not exam- 
ined to test his fitness for university work, but he must lay 
before the authorities the testimonials and evidences of pre- 
paratory work, and pay to the treasurer the matriculation fee 
of twenty marks, or only twelve marks if he comes from 
another German university. If everything is satisfactory the 
day is set when he and several hundred others are obliged to 
appear in the Aula, or main university hall, listen to an address 



242 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

by the president or pro-rector, inscribe their names in the 
matriculation book, etc. From the secretary he receives a card 
of identification, which he is expected at all times to carry with 
him, and on demand shows to any city or university authorities. 
As an example, I one time saw a student interfering with the 
street gas-lantern. The police officer who detected the mis- 
chief simply demanded his card, from which the necessary 
notes were made, and the young man was not further detained ; 
but about ten days later he received at his room a notification 
to pay a fine of several marks. If he could not have produced 
his card on demand the matter would have been reported 
and an extra fine would have been imposed upon him. 
This card the student is also expected to exhibit at the 
ticket window to obtain the rebate for concerts, etc., and it will 
help him in getting his mail anywhere in Germany when he is 
traveling. The color of the card indicates at a glance the 
department in which the student is doing his work, and the 
same is the case as regards the small "Collegien-buch," the 
paper covers of which are green or brown or another color, 
which depends on whether the owner of it is enrolled as a stu- 
dent of philosophy, of law% etc. This little book is given to 
the matriculated student by the secretary of the university, and 
in it the student must write the names of the lecture courses 
he is taking, and on payment of the dues the treasurer of the 
university receipts for the same in this book. At the close of 
the semester the student must personally get in this same little 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 243 

record book the signatures of the professors and instructors, 
without which there will be no evidence that he has taken 
the courses. 

The professor knows the names and numbers of students 
attending his lectures, for at the beginning of each semester 
there is a sheet of paper, called the ''Belegbogen," in each 
class-room, and the students enter their names thereon. After 
a few weeks these are sent to the treasurer's office for exami- 
nation and proof and later returned to the professor, who gen- 
erally carefully preserves them for his own private reference. 
There are in Germany no universities, as our Vassar, Mt. 
Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, etc., intended exclusively for the higher 
education of young women. A few years ago several of the 
universities in Germany, among them the two in Baden, began 
the experiment of admitting women to the lecture courses as 
^'hearers," obliging them in each case to obtain the necessary 
permission from the lecturer. At present they are admitted 
to full matriculation, provided they have graduated at one of 
the German preparatory schools. Those who have been 
granted these privileges are certainly very regular in their 

attendance and also dilisrent and industrious. The medical 

. I 

department seems to be the most popular with them. Germany 

has waited a long time before giving women these advantages 

and privileges, but the ultimate gain will be hers, for this higher 

education of women will tend to make the empire a still greater 

power for good throughout the world and help to uplift the 



244 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

condition of women in neighboring countries. It is safe to 
predict that in the near future the empire will respect the 
demands and wishes of its women-citizens for higher educa- 
tion and found a great national university for women, with 
women professors and pro-rectors, in some ideal classic city 
of Central Germany; as, for example, Weimar, a beautiful 
city already renowned through Goethe and Schiller. This uni- 
versity, with its large lecture buildings, laboratories, dormitor- 
ies, etc., all new and modern, will shine before the world as an 
indication that Germany is making proper use of her great- 
ness in time of peace in advancing the interests and condition 
of all her subjects ; but it will also be to the whole world a most 
excellent object-lesson of the abilities and capabilities, the 
innate greatness, of German women, who have not been appre- 
ciated in the past. 



UNIVERSITY PRISON. 

So I were out of prison and kept sheep 
I should he as merry as the day is long; 
And so I woidd he here. — King John : IV, i. 

A very interesting institution of a German university is 
the prison cell, of which there are two in Freiburg, in the 
third story of the older buildings, with barred windows over- 
looking the former campus. Students who have transgressed 



p 



Faces and Phases of German Life, 245 

the university rules are sentenced for a week or two to serve 
time in the cell. 

This cell contains an old bedstead, a table and a chair or 
two. The university will not give the offender a soft bed to 
sleep on, nor will it support him. He is simply deprived of 
his liberty, and if he wishes bedding or food he must arrange- 
beforehand at his own expense to have it brought to him. 

He receives no instructions as to any work expected from 
him while serving his time, so one studies hard and another 
wastes the time. The beautiful carving on the chairs and 
tables prove that some at least knew how to whittle, and the 
paintings on the ceilings or walls, representing prison-life, 
student-duels, etc., prove that others had a very fine appre- 
ciation of the art of coloring. They are not allowed under 
any circumstances to leave this cell, which is known by the 
name of Karzer, from the Latin word career, meaning prison. 
The keeper or janitor is responsible for their safekeeping, and 
he is obliged to make his report to the authorities, who in ordi- 
nary cases take no further interest in the matter. It is reported 
that one occupant years ago succeeded in removing the window- 
bars, and every evening, after the inspection time was over and 
the keeper had retired, managed to crawl out of the window 
and slide down a water-pipe. He naturally appreciated more 
than ever the three or four hours which he could thus spend 
with his society friends, even if the getting back to the room 
was more venturesome and less interesting. However, his 



246 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

evening enjoyment was suddenly brought to a close when he 
was recognized on the street by a university official, who knew 
that at that moment he was supposed to be in the Karzer. An 
investigation followed, but, as the suspected keeper could prove 
that he had regularly done his duty and had accepted no bribe 
or tips to grant special privileges, the room was more closely 
examined and the trick discovered. 

UNIVERSITIES 01^ GERMANY. 

These earthly godfathers of heaven s lights, 
That gave a name to every fixed star, 
Have no more profit of their shining nights 
Than those that zvalk and wot not zvhat they are, 

— Love's Ivabor's Lost : I, i. 

Germany has at present twenty-one universities, but there 
have been more; nine were suppressed during the Napoleonic 
wars and four were combined with others. A university was 
founded in Cologne in the year 1388 and one in Erfurt in 1393, 
but these exist no longer ; and the one at Wittenberg, founded 
in 1502, and connected in history with Martin Luther's name, 
was incorporated with the University of Halle in 181 7. The 
University of Leipsic held a great celebration this summer of 
1909 in honor of its five-hundredth anniversary. 

The German universities in alphabetical order, with the 
date when they were established, are as follows : 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 247 

I, Berlin, 1809; 2, Bonn, 1818; 3, Breslau, 1811; 4, 
Eriangen, 1743; 5, Freiburg, 1457; 6, Giessen, 1607; 7, Got- 
tingen, 1737; 8, Greifswald, 1456; 9, Halle, 1694; 10, Heidel- 
berg, 1386; II, Jena, 1558; 12, Kiel, 1665; ^3> Konigsberg, 
1544; 14, Leipsic, 1409; 15, Marburg, 1625; 16, Munich, 
1472; 17, Miinster, 1773; 18, Rostock, 1419; 19, Strassburg, 
1872; 20, Tubingen, 1477; 2i» Wiirzburg, 1402. 

The powerful influence of these great institutions of learn- 
ing in a country which is smaller in area than some of our 
states, can be to some extent judged from the number of stu- 
dents enrolled. 

The following list shows the number during the summer 
semester of the year 1909. The first column shows the full 
number matriculated, including men and women. The second 
column shows the number of women matriculated. The third 
column shows the number of non-matriculated persons, men 
and women, who are enrolled with privilege to attend certain 
lectures. The fourth column, the women included in the third 
The fifth column shows the full numbers. 

I. II. III. IV. V. 

1. BerHn 7,194 417 4,063 150 11,257 

2. Munich 6,547 148 382 116 6,929 

3' Leipsic 4,581 56 821 75 5,402 

4. Bonn 3,801 144 202 78 4,003 

5. Freiburg 2,760 90 141 43 2,901 

6. Breslau 2,347 64 189 8^ 2,536 



248 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

I. II. III. IV. 

7. Halle 2,310 26 153 28 

8. Gottingen 2,239 no ^7 43 

9. Heidelberg 2,171 138 161 50 

10. Marburg 2,134 33 51 8 

11. Strassburg 1,935 21 126 97 

12. Tubingen 1,921 9 141 80 

13. Mlinster 1,760 25 89 20 

14. Jena 1,606 30 127 38 

15- Kiel 1,593 13 53 19 

16. Wlirzburg 1,369 9 61 19 

17. Konigsberg 1,293 3^ 122 62 

18. Giessen 1,271 30 153 74 

19. Erlangen 1,158 15 44 8 

20. Grief swald 967 38 yy 22 

21. Rostock 743 — 66 40 

This gives a grand 

total of 51700 1,446 7^309 1,153 



In the summer of 1908 there were only 375 matriculated 
women-students, but in the last winter semester the number 
increased to 1,108, and in the summer of 1909 to 1,446. This 
great difference is in part explained by the fact that in 
1908 only the universities of Southern Germany admitted 
women to matriculation. The majority of these women, 713, 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 249 

were pursuing philosophical studies; 368, medicine; and 228, 
mathematics and the sciences. Of the remainder, 25 were 
studying law and 4 were taking evangehcal theology. 

In a German periodical of August, 1842, I found statistic^ 
pertaining to the universities, which are given here for a com- 
parative study with the foregoing facts. 

The first column shows the total number enrolled. The 
second column, the number of foreigners. The third column, 
the most popular department or faculty. The fourth column, 
the number having work under that department. 

I. II. III. IV. 

Berlin ^652 400 Law 509 

Munich 1^325 — Philosophy 552 

Leipsic 874 251 Law 334 

Tubingen 765 50 Theology 284 

Gottingen 728 249 Law 268 

Halle 705 174 Theology 472 

Breslau 639 10 Theology 281 

Heidelberg 572 364 Law 345 

Bonn 558 115 Law 195 

Wiirzburg 485 105 Medicine 158 

Giessen 472 105 Theology 116 

Jena 449 216 Law 163 

Erlangen 303 16 Theology 144 

Marburg 294 58 Law 112 

Freiburg . . . , , , , 273 83 Theology 107 



250 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

STUDENT DUElvS. 

Though' t be a sportful combat , 
Yet in the trial much opinion dzveUs: 

— Troilus and Cressida: I, 3. 

In our character sketch the fact was mentioned that Air. I. 
had received a challenge to a duel, one of those student-contests 
concerning which we in America have very erroneous ideas. 
Although there is a strong sentiment against them throughout 
Germany, there is no great effort made to stop them, for they 
are never fought with the intent to kill ; and if at any time one 
proves fatal it will be found that some unforseen circumstances 
were responsible. In some circles a man with these long, deep 
battle-scars on his face is specially honored for his prowess, as 
they are a prima facie evidence that he is not afraid of dan- 
ger and that he can stand cool and brave before the enemy. 
It has been claimed in German newspapers that such men are 
preferred to others in civil appointments, and the students 
themselves maintain that during the military service a marked 
degree of respect becomes manifest towards the possessors of 
such scars by their superior officers, who are more courteous 
and more ready to grant special privileges. 

The municipal authorities prohibit these tests of bravery 
within the city limits; hence they always take place in one of 
the near-by villages. The authorities at times forbid the par- 
ties to go about town bandaged or \yearing skull-caps to cover 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 251 

wounds, and the individual professor may refuse to have such 
attend his lectures, but, as stated, no real effort is made to 
suppress these duels. The very probable reason is that the 
men in power have scars of their own, which they received as 
students, and of which they are proud; therefore they wish to 
give the succeeding generation an equal chance to gain honors, 
and will not interfere unless public sentiment is stirred up 
because of some unexpected or unavoidable accident and 
demands an investigation. It has been claimed that Count von 
Bismarck had some of these very characteristic scars on his 
face and that Emperor William is in favor of these student- 
encounters, as he believes that the young men will be the bet- 
ter trained to meet the enemy on a real battlefield. If this is 
true we can readily understand that for many generations to 
come the students will continue to have their sports and enjoy 
themselves in their own characteristic ways without any 
interference. 

The students themselves never speak of these afifairs as 
duels, but as mensurs, the word "mensur" meaning "measure," 
and being related to our word "mensuration." While one may 
take place as the result of a challenge due to an imagined or 
real insult, yet generally it is a prearranged contest between 
the members of several student societies, and the managers 
take special pains to have the contestants as far as possible of 
like fighting ability, so that an unskilled beginner is not placed 
opposite a man of great experience and dexterity, or a small 



252 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

man opposite a tall one. The men do not as a rule know with 
whom they are to try their skill until the day has arrived. I 
remember some years ago one of the fighting corps of Freiburg 
had in one day seventeen mensurs, and their opponents came 
all the way from the University of Tiibingen, Wiirtemberg, 
where they found so little opportunity to try their mettle that 
they begged the Freiburg men to grant them these favors. 
These men were all on the most friendly terms with each other, 
and in the evening after the day's hard strug"gles the fighting 
guests were quite finely entertained at the clubrooms of the 
home society. In the following semester the compliment was 
returned, and the Freiburg boys visited Tubingen, only to 
return with many well-earned scars, of which they were very 
proud. 

If a student who is not a member of a fighting corps has 
accepted a challenge to engage in a mensur, he is obliged to 
place himself under the protectorship of a corps and be trained 
and instructed by them ; for which privilege he must pay what- 
ever fees may be exacted. At the time of his mensur he is to 
all intents and purposes one of their number and they are of 
course responsible that full justice be done him according to 
the rules and regulations governing the mensurs. 

All of the student societies at a German university do not 
make the participation in a mensur one of the requirements of 
membership, for some make mathematics or the sciences their 
special aim, others perhaps music, and still others aim for the 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 253 

pleasures and comforts of a happy, social club-life. All of 
these generally place no restrictions on their members as to 
duelling, and the young men can do exactly as they please in 
the matter. There are, however, distinctive Catholic societies, 
whose aim is the furtherance of their religion and who actu- 
ally forbid their members to take part in any mensur, and also 
exclude a man who either gives or accepts a challenge. On 
festive occasions and also in their private club-meetings, they 
carry the rapiers or swords, the cymbols of these fights, and 
this fact has often been commented on by the members of other 
societies; for they consider it a great inconsistency. The 
Jewish students societies are also non-fighting associations. It 
does not follow from the above remarks that only Protestant 
students engage in the mensur, for in these other societies reli- 
gion is not made one of the qualifications of membership, and 
we find members of both the Protestant and Catholic faith. 

If a person is living in a German university town he will 
naturally see in course of time many faces with scars of all 
sizes — on the head, forehead, ear, nose, lips, cheek or chin, each 
one of which is a chapter in a strange story. But the largest, 
deepest and most prominent one which I have ever seen was 
not on the face of a German, but on the cheek of a St. Louis 
American, who had fought a mensur in Berlin. lie himself 
was not a little chagrined at the size of the scar, which was 
due to his second's not understanding his request for a short 
pause to adjust his eyeglasses. That the German students were 



254 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

also deq)ly inqiressed by this remarkable cut was ver\- e\-i- 
dent from the many jokes this American was obliged to stand. 
I win menticHi one which was made at his expense on a festive 
QiTistmas occa^on of one sod^ of students where this man. 
whom wc win call Mr. Sn:::herton, was a welcome guest The 
joker of Ae cvoiing r r r 3ne to another, in a calm and 

dignified manner, a ^ - r : foolscap paper for in^)ection. 
Nodiii^ could be deieced on it except a long, jagged cune 
of irregular thickness. No one could understand this enigma 
until half an hour later a poem was read to the effect tha: 
Smiih eitonhai z-e^r. *typed*' (tin-typed), and die queer, irreg- 
ular curve was all that the photogr^ihic plate could catch of 
him. 

Wondering how Ac fdks at home fed when their boy 

r-- ^rom the mii \as ity with these striking evidences of 

T -zitier than internal head-work, I took occasion to 

a: er of diis young man the direct question, and 

wa^ ::'.L :i: i: "r: re felt very unhappy to see her son's 
face disngured, but now diat she had become accustomed to it 
she did not care, for he was the oi^ who would have to wear 
that face ^hr^^-^::^. ^rs wfac^ life. Moreover, if later in 
America It r -t ^vantages because his looks repelled 

people, th- msdf alone to Wame, 

It fre -. T ■ i: J-jr^tri cans travellii^ or study- 

ii^ abrc a - omcc in order to have their consul 

obtain an iowiaiiou for diem to a mensur, for they realized 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 



^y 



that the student society life was so exclusive that a stranger 
without proper introduction would hardly be welcome, even if 
he were courteously and gentlemanly treated. I therefore 
had occasion many times to request such favors from one of 
the societies, and am pleased to say that without exception my 
wishes were always treated with the highest respect; and the 
visiting Americans, even when it was not possible for me to 
accompany them, were made to feel that the apparently stiff 
and dignified demeanor of the German corps-students beccMnes 
on acquaintanceship a most friendly and obliging spirit, and 
that they take a special interest in their visitors welfare, are 
attentive to his ever>' want, and that they feel that the>', not 
he, are the ones honored that day through his presence. 

DESCRIPTION OF A DUEL. 

Lay on, MacDuff, 
'And damned he him that first cries, ''Hold, enough!" 

—Macbeth: V. 8. 

Let my readers now suppose that they are visiting Frei- 
burg and have received an invitation to witness a mensur. 
We proceed to a cozy, quiet, little \-illage about three miles 
from the city, enclosed by moimtains 1.500 feet high, the begin- 
ning of the Black Forest. From afar we can see a tavern, in 
front of which stand many carriages and perhaps also a large 



256 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

omnibus. We also see groups of students quietly standing 
around, wearing colored caps, and under the coat a pretty rib- 
bon, the color of their society. As Americans we wonder how 
it is possible for them all to be excused from their lectures for 
this occurrence, but perhaps the hour is one in which no lec- 
ture is given, for a mensur may take place as early as six in the 
morning or as late as the parties desire in the evening. After 
a while we realize that they are not obliged to be present at 
lectures, and therefore need no excuse to be absent, and we of 
course wonder whether such a system would meet with favor 
in America or not. Having arrived at the place we find that 
the president of the inviting society has kindly commissioned 
one of the boys to give us his special attention, to be on the 
lookout for us, so that we from the moment of our arrival can 
feel at ease; it becomes his duty to act as guide to us, to 
explain any customs and to answer any and all questions w^e 
may put to him; and if ever he desires to leave us he must find 
a substitute, so that the visiting guests will never be left alone. 
^If he in any respect fail to act his part properly towards the 
society's guests he will be very severely dealt with at another 
time, for the students are proud of their respective societies, 
and will not stand the slightest misbehavior which in any way 
discredits their corps in the community. 

We are most cordially welcomed by the boys who have 
invited us, and who have perhaps gathered around us to be 
introduced, and then as an act of corps-courtesy, we are intro- 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 257 

diiced to the officers of the opposing corps, who, if they so 
chose, could object to our presence, for no visitors objection- 
able to either side are allowed to attend. We are taken to the 
fighting room at the back of the tavern, a large-sized room on 
the ground floor, with two vrindows and a low, very narrow 
gallery built all around; quarters exceedingly close if a large 
company has gathered. In the center of the room we see two 
men stripped to the waist, evidently getting ready for some- 
thing the very thought of which strikes us with awe, so that 
we begin to wonder if we can really stand the sight of it. 
Each man has his attendants, who assist him in dressing for 
this strange occurrence, and who carefully examine all straps, 
weapons, etc., so that everything will be in perfect order. As 
it will be a full half hour before the parties are ready for the 
encounter, we are invited to wait in the restaurant room ; here 
we find in a side room the students sitting at a long table eat- 
ing and drinking of the botmtiful supply which the tavern- 
keeper has always on hand. We also sit down to a cup of 
delicious coffee and engage in pleasant conversation about 
student-life in general and especially the customs and sports 
of our American students, so different from those of the Ger- 
mans. We begin to take a deep interest in these foreign boys, 
whose training in life, whose habits and sports, and whose 
methods of study and education are all so different from any- 
thing we have ever seen or experienced before, and yet we see 
them all so happy and contented, so obliging and social that we 



258 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

feel that their ways deserve from us a thorough investigation 
before we are justified in making unfavorable criticism. 

While absorbed in such reflections the announcement is 
suddenly made that the mensur will now take place. We 
wonder at the quiet spirit shown by everybody. No one comes 
to officially call the members away from their social table ; and 
yet with one accord all rise and proceed to the rear hall, irre- 
spective of the fact that they may not have finished their 
luncheon. Our guide kindly invites us to follow him, and 
escorts us to excellent seats in the gallery, warning us to look 
out for the low ceiling and projecting beams. We feel most 
painfully surprised at the apparent lack of enthusiasm on the 
part of both sides, for with the yells and the shouts and the 
loud screams of an American university ball-game or boat- 
race so vividly in mind, this funereal stillness and want of 
enthusiastic spirit seem entirely out of place at an occurrence 
of such moment. It naturally adds intensity to our feelings 
and fears that something most terrible is about to happen and 
that everybody is aware of it, but nobody has the moral courage 
to interfere. Perhaps we are inwardly so wrought up over 
what is about to occur as to almost consider it a duty on our 
part to interfere, yet are we not honored guests who sought an 
invitation? But here again we see the effects of the methodi- 
jcal "setness" of the German mind, for these students have 
not gathered here to make any noise; they have not come 
together to manifest any enthusiasm nor rejoice in a wild, 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 259 

hilarious manner if their man shows himself the superior in 
any respect ; they have really not met to have their man outdo 
his opponent, although of course they wish it; they have simply 
gathered here to see if their own man can satisfactorily pass 
an examination test or not; to him and to them it becomes 
merely a test of manhood, an exhibition of bravery in the 
face of danger; so why is there any need of "blowing a trum- 
pet" about it? Their feelings can be compared to those of 
the Turk at a horse-race, who could not understand why such 
a howling noise was made over the horses ; for he could not 
understand how any one could expect the horses to be equally 
swift, as one must, as a matter of course, come in first and 
another last. 

We look at the two principals of the mensur and hardly 
recognize them as the same parties we had seen a short time 
previously, so strangely different does the new costume make 
them appear; the stout, iron-framed goggles before their eyes 
bring to our mind the automobilist ; we are glad to see them 
so thickly padded to guard against any serious injury; their 
right arms, chest, body and thighs are well covered with thickly 
padded pieces of clothing specially made for the purpose; the 
piece at the chest is dark with bloodstains and looks as if it had 
been oftentimes in use; even the floor has dark deep stains, the 
marks of many a previous encounter. While these sights 
increase and intensify our feelings, we are, as it were, encour- 
aged and emboldened by a knowledge of the fact that none of 



26o Faces and Phases of German Life. 

the former encounters have terminated fatally; for our very 
attentive guide gave us that assurance. 

The correct distance is determined by stretching out their 
right arms and touching each other with their rapiers, those 
long, narrow, straight blades, sharp as a razor, which are the 
weapons used. After the place has been fixed, perhaps chalk- 
marked, they are obliged to remain firm and immovable, with 
their left hands rigid at their sides, warding off the blows only 
with appropriate counter-blows. Any violation of these regu- 
lations, the dodging of well-directed blows, etc., will cause the 
offender to receive a ''monitum," or warning, and if a second 
one is received the society will deal very severely with him. 
If a man is left-handed, the opposing corps is informed of that 
fact beforehand, and the opposing combatant has accordingly 
ample time to practice for the new conditions. 

At the left side of each principal stands his second, whose 
face is protected after the manner of our baseball catchers. 
Near the windows stands the umpire, called Herr Unpar- 
tiischer, or Mr. Non-Partial, who is generally a representative 
of some third society, but may also be a member of either one 
of the two to which the combatants belong. He has in his 
hand a paper containing a number of squares, either fifteen 
or twenty-five, one for each minute which the mensur is to last, 
and these indicate to him the progress of the fight. Our guide 
takes special pains to have us understand that the inexperienced 
men fight mensurs of fifteen minutes and the older students, 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 261 

who are more skilled, through many experiences, must continue 
at these encounters for twenty -five minutes; he also kindly 
explains that by mJnutes they do not mean a minute of time, 
but that four blows constitute a quarter of a minute, and that 
a twenty-five-minute mensur might last only a few clock- 
minutes or may continue for several hours. We are also told 
that the umpire, in following up the mensur, places in one of 
the squares a half -diagonal for each quarter-minute fought, 
and as four half-diagonals, representing four quarter-minutes, 
complete the diagonals of any one square, it is a simple matter 
at any moment to state the progress of the mensur. 

When all is in readiness, we hear the umpire call for 
*'Silentium," and with great eagerness we listen to his few 
introductory remarks that a mensur of fifteen or twenty-five 
minutes is about to take place between the members of this 
corps and that corps, and that certain extra pads have been 
made use of to shield scars received on previous occasions. 
One of the seconds then responds and informs the umpire 
that he will direct the mensur and will each time give the same 
word of command, namely : ''Auf die Mensur ! Fertig ! Los !" 
[To the mensur! ready! start!] Then, turning to the two 
contestants, he commands in a stern, sharp, distinct voice, *'Auf 
die Mensur! Fertig! Los!" At the word "los" the blows fall 
systematically, and at the end of four there is a halt each time, 
and the second brings up the rapier in his hand to prevent any 
continuance of the blows on the part of his man. At each 



262 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

"Halt" there are several students ready to hold up the arms of 
their corps-man to relieve him of the severe strain; for it 
stands to reason that with the heavy thick pads and the long 
steel rapiers, the combined weight tires the muscles of his arm 
very quickly. Others are prepared with bits of surgical cot- 
ton dipped in a weak solution of carbolic acid to rub the rapier, 
so as to prevent any danger from infection and at the same 
time to straighten the weapon, which has perhaps become 
bent. If no pause has been declared by the umpire the con- 
testants immediately start again, after receiving the same words 
of command. If, however, the various bandages need read- 
justment, a "bandage-pause" is asked for by the second, which 
is always granted, but a note made thereof. If a cut has been 
received from which blood is flowing, a pause is also demanded, 
so that the student-doctor who is present can determine the 
seriousness of the wound, and whether it would be wise to 
have the mensur continue or not. The mere flow of blood 
does not bring a mensur to an end, but if the cheek has 
received a deep gash, or the nose or ear cut into or an artery 
severed, the second immediately requests an "Abfuhr" [a lead- 
ing away] for his man, and the mensur is declared ended, even 
if it may have been fought less than a minute; for a most deci- 
sive wound has been received in the first half minute. At 
other times the mensur lasts the full twenty-five minutes, and 
neither contestant receives the slightest scratch. At the close 
of the mensur the two principals shake hands, probably as 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 263 

an indication that there is no standing grievance between 
them. We again wonder that from the beginning to the end 
of the contest there was not the sHghtest enthusiasm made 
manifest, but that a spirit of intense interest and of quiet, 
serious dignity seemed to pervade the hall; no exultation or 
expressions of joy, no indications of displeasure unless per- 
haps a short argument may arise between a second and the 
umpire because he takes exception to some ruling. We turn to 
our guide for an explanation as to the real value of a mensur, 
if there is to be no rejoicing over a victory and no humiliation 
over a defeat. As his answer does not satisfy us, we prob- 
ably think that he himself does not know, for it takes a long 
time before we are able to comprehend the real value of a men- 
sur to a German student, for there is absolutely no thought 
of competition about it, but it is purely and simply an individual 
test of honor, manhood and bravery, and is to be considered 
and criticised exactly as we would judge written examination 
papers, namely, each on its own merits, irrespective of what 
others may have done. 

We see that after the thick padded bandages are removed 
the two contestants are led by their friends into a small side 
room, and we wonder what comes next on the programme; 
so timidly and inquisitively we ask our kind escort if there 
would be any objection to our taking a look into the room, and 
find him only too glad to gratify our wishes. We find a long, 
narrow room, with large windows at either end, before each 



264 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

of which in a comfortable reclining-chair one of the patients 
lies, attended by a student-doctor, assisted by any number of 
willing hands. We take a deep interest in watching the power 
of endurance over pain, the calm, stoical bravery manifested 
when the many stitches are being taken and the sharp surgical 
needles are being thrust through the tender skin. Not a sound 
is made, not one groan of pain is heard, and not a muscle of 
body, arm, or face moves; the whole physical constitution and 
the entire mental organization, the feelings and the emo- 
tions, all seem to be under complete control. It is this 
most perfect command over the body and mind, this quiet hero- 
ism in the presence of great pain, this apparent indifference and 
unconcern when facing danger, which these corps-students aim 
for and in every way strive to cultivate. We hear with aston- 
ishment that sometimes as many as fifteen or twenty, and even 
more, stitches are required ; but we also learn that the individ- 
ual students are proud of the number, for it means a larger, 
more prominent scar eventually, and will always be an indica- 
tion of greater pain endured. 

While this surgical work is being done with the great- 
est care in the one room, we see that in the larger hall the prep- 
arations are made for the next mensur, which in due time 
takes place; and so on until the full programme of the day 
has been finished, when the two sides part the best of friends, 
each to celebrate until the early morning hours in its own 
private clubroom, called Kneiplocal. If we have been invited to 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 265 

take part in their celebration we shall probably be surprised 
to see present even those who had been so actively engaged 
during the day; with suitable bandages on the face and head 
and perhaps a black silk skull-cap. 

These mensurs are more or less popular at all of the Ger- 
man universities and some of die higher polytechnic institu- 
tions, and date back to mediaeval times. They become of spe- 
cial interest to us when we consider that they are all that we 
have left today of the famous tournaments of former days 
such as we read of in the novels of Sir Walter Scott, and 
which we see represented on the stage in the opera, Lohengrin. 

These terrible scars and facial disfigurements would be 
exceedingly repulsive to us Americans, so that student sports 
of this type would always be prohibited here by public senti- 
ment, if not by law; yet the cases of accident or fatal issue 
as the result of an ordinary mensur are extremely rare. This 
is more than we can claim for some of our own sports, as, for 
example, football. Though living ten years in the university 
city with the best of means of obtaining proper information 
from the most reliable sources, I cannot recall a single case 
of a student really incapacitated for his future career in life. 
One man, it was claimed, was obliged to wear an artificial 
nose, and one whom I knew personally had his right hand 
crippled, for the tendons, arteries and nerves at the wrist were 
severed by pure accident. The hands of the contestants and 
their seconds are always well protected by a globular metal 



266 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

basket or shield, into which the rapier is tightly fixed and 
which besides displays the society's colors. This young man 
had finished his university career and was an old hand in mat- 
ters of the mensur. As a reserve ofiicer he was assigned to 
army duty in Freiburg for a few weeks, and so was happy 
to enjoy the jolly times with his society again, and on this 
particular occasion acted the part of second. The accident 
was due to the fact that the opposing contestant was so 
earnest in his fencing blows that he entirely disregarded, per- 
haps involuntarily so, the command ''Halt!" with the result 
that this man's wrist was severely injured. I met him a few 
days after, and then he felt unconcerned about the wound 
or the permanent harm done, for it had been received on the 
field of honor, but he was worried about the penalties or the 
treatment he would receive from his superior army officers, 
to whom he had to report the injury and explain how he had 
become incapacitated, and from whom he should have had 
permission even to be present. Some years later I learned that 
such respect was shown to him by the army officers because 
of this affair that no case was ever brought up against him. 
I have also known of some students so overcome by the 
thought or experience of the mensur that they fainted either 
beforehand or during the progress of one, but I never learned 
of any denouncing such as cowards, for they had not been 
afraid to prepare for the trial and the trouble was due to 
some physical weakness, 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 267 

After a man has had considerable experience and feels that 
he is an expert, these ordinary mensurs are altogether too tame, 
and he craves for something that is a little more exciting and 
dangerous. For such there is a real sword-duel, or Saebel- 
mensur, which can be fought, however, only after a special 
challenge has been received and a court of honor has decided 
that satisfaction can be rendered in no other way. In these 
encounters, in place of the long, straight, narrow rapier a 
broad curved sword is used and very few parts of the body 
are protected; the contestants are not obliged to stand rigid 
as a stone-wall, but are privileged to defend themselves and 
ward off blows as they see fit, and are governed by an entirely 
different code of rules and regulations. Even in these encoun- 
ters we never hear of fatal results, because both contestants 
would be skilled men ; there is, however, danger connected with 
tliem, and they are, I believe, prohibited by the police and 
perhaps by law; hence when these take place invitations are 
not given to outsiders or strangers, and if one is to occur on 
the day of other mensurs a guest present is politely asked to 
kindly absent himself from the room; while perhaps a slight 
hint is given him to the effect that he can not be considered 
present if he is outside looking through the window. 



268 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

STUDENT CIvUBROOMS. 

Why should a man, whose blood is warm within, 
Sit like his grandsire, cut in alabaster? 
Sleep when he zvakesf and creep into the jaundice 
By being peevish? — Merchant of Venice : I, i. 

The private assembly-room of a student society is known 
as their Kneiplocal, a word composed of the two words local, 
meaning place, and Kneipe, a word hard to translate, but mean- 
ing ''the gathering about a table sociably without any distinc- 
tive aim in view except to have a good time in each other's 
company and smoke and drink to their heart's content." Most 
of the societies have also a table specially reserved for them 
in some popular restaurant, where they gather occasion- 
ally. This table is known as their Kneiptisch, and is gen- 
erally most beautifully carved, as are also the society chairs 
placed around, it. If a society is fortunate enough to own 
its own house the members take pains to give it a truly 
. home-like appearance, and the many rooms are very artistically 
decorated, and any presents received at anniversary times from 
kind friends are highly appreciated and are given a prominent 
place in the room. A ''Diener" or attendant, who always 
accompanies the society and wears a cap with its distinctive 
colors, has special supervision over the house, living there in 
a few rooms with his family. The Kneiproom is thickly 
studded with all manner of interesting pictures or artistic 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 269 

decorations and souvenirs, prominent among which we see the 
large photographs taken at each great anniversary reunion, and 
the smaller photographs of the memhers present during each 
semester, and perhaps also a group illustrating the mensur in 
all its reality, with the contestants and their seconds stationed 
in the center, as if about to begin; and nearby those who had 
just finished and were awaiting the surgeon's needle, and still 
others with bandages and skull-caps, showing that their hard 
day's work was satisfactorily done. Tlie long table or tables, 
in U-shape or in T-shape, with the beautifully carved chairs, 
immediately strike the attention of visitors, as also the great 
shield with the colors, monogram and motto of the society 
or corps. The happy social spirit of these German secret- 
society students, generally imagined as unapproachable, stiff 
and dignified, will be understood by my readers when I state 
the fact that one society w^ith a very characteristic and attrac- 
tive Kneiproom most kindly granted me, though no more to 
them than an Ehrengast, or ''guest of honor," the privilege 
of entering it at any time with my visiting American friends, 
instructing me where I could obtain the key if the door was 
not open. 



270 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

STUDENT KNKIPK. 

/ drink to the general joy o' the whole table. 

— Macbeth : III, 4. 

Let us suppose now that our expressed wish to attend one 
of the social gatherings of the students has been gratified and 
a card of invitation has been dehvered to us, either in person 
or by mail. We understand that the ''8% h." may mean 8.30 
o'clock, although the "c. t." after it we can not comprehend; 
but after careful inquiry we learn that the "h. c. t." stand for 
the Latin words "hora cum tempore'' (hour with time), and 
we learn that the ''c. t." really means that we need not be in any 
hurry, for the session will not open promptly, but as soon after 
8.30 o'clock as convenient. We also learn that if a meeting is 
to open promptly, the abbreviations "s. t." (sine tempore) are 
used, and that the German students are accustomed to use Latin 
words or phrases in their meetings; as, for example, praesidium 
for president, cantus for song, pagina for page, bibite for drink 
(imperative), etc. With feelings of delight we proceed to 
the Kneipe and wonder whether through ignorance of foreign 
customs we shall disgrace ourselves through some breach of 
student etiquette. On our arrival we are treated with the 
utmost courtesy and respect, and all with one accord rise to 
welcome us; we are immediately escorted to the head of the 
table to the president, who, after introducing us, assigns us 
to the seat of honor at his right or left side. It may happen 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 271 

that the members all in turn come to be personally introduced 
or the visitor is escorted from one to the other to shake hands 
with all, if he is a former member or a well-known friend. 
After the first flush of excitement is over we wonder what has 
become of our hats and coats, which have, as it were, suddenly 
disappeared ; but on our departure a few hours later, they are 
brought to us. so we then realize that attentive hands had in 
the beginning quietly and quickly relieved us of these 
incumbrances. 

What a strange sight greets us at our first visit. The stu- 
dents, perfectly orderly, sitting at the tables happy and merry 
as they can be, occasionally drinking to our health with a 
* 'prosit," to which we are by courtesy expected to respond at 
least with a pleasant recognition if not with a swallow. We 
are deeply impressed by the colors as worn by the officers, and, 
in the case of a corps which wears colors in public, by the beau- 
tiful caps and ribbons worn by each. We wonder why the 
prominent member sitting at the foot of the table has on his 
cap a large bushy fox-tail, and are told that that is the case 
because he is the fox-major, and of course are just as wise 
afterwards as we were before. It seems very imposing to us 
when the praesidium calls the boys to order for an address 
or a song; for he has no gavel to slam down on the table, but 
his method is fully as effective ; for with full force he hits the 
table with the glittering, shining blade of a rapier, being sec- 
onded in his act by the fox-major. 



272 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

Little by little we begin to understand the real meaning of 
things which at first seemed so indefinite and incomprehensi- 
ble. We see that the members are classed in two groups, the 
Fuechse and the Burschen, the foxes and the fellows, and 
for want of a better translation we immediately think of them 
as freshmen and sophomores. We learn that a fox is a new- 
comer into the society, and that he cannot become a Bursch 
until he had been tried, we might say, for at least two semesters, 
when he is welcomed by all as a full member. We learn that 
in the case of a fighting corps a fox must have satisfactorily 
participated in at least two mensurs before he can be admitted 
to full membership. Our attention is called to the fact that of 
the three or four characteristic colors of the society one is 
wanting from the ribbon on the cap of the fox, and that only 
the Bursch is entitled to the wearing of all the colors. We 
begin to comprehend the need of a fox-major for the young 
foxes need instruction in all the customs and technical lore of 
corps-student life and corps-etiquette, and he is the prominent 
and powerful society official whose duty it is to look after the 
foxes. So at the Kneipe he sits at the foot of the table, sur- 
rounded by his foxes who now and then, at command, rise and 
sing a new song he may have taught them or in some other 
way amuse the Burschen. Whenever he leaves his place at the 
table we notice that he always calls upon some Bursch to take 
his seat and act temporarily as fox-major, but it becomes 
exceedingly amusing to us when he perchance has failed to 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 273 

do so, for then the poor, neglected foxes set up a most heart- 
rending wail of, '*We haven't any fox-major," which they 
keep up until his return. We hear a similar wail of ''We 
haven't any president" whenever the praesidium leaves his 
chair without assigning his duties temporarily to some other 
member, even if these strenuous duties be no more than to 
occupy his seat until his return. 

We see that each student and guest is provided with a glass 
or with an opaque ''Stein," and we soon learn through observa- 
tion that at a Kneipe there is considerable thirst, either natural 
or cultivated; we also learn that there are some members who 
on principle or on advice of their physician partake of nothing 
stronger than lemonade or soda-water. It is also interesting 
to notice that there is no need of ordering "Stoff" or substance 
as it is called in student language, for even before a glass is 
empty the ever-busy and attentive "Diener" has replaced the 
old with a new glass. It also seems strange to us that the pen- 
alties imposed in open session for any violation of orders, how- 
< ever insignificant, is to "spin" or look "into the can," which 
means to drink until "sufficient" is indicated by the word 
"geschenkt" [presented]. This happens if perhaps the stu- 
dent continues his conversation after a thundering call for 
"Silentium" has been heard or intentionally mocks at the sub- 
stitute praesidium, sings incorrectly, etc., everything, however, 
being done in a happy spirit of fun and merriment. We see 
that sometimes a more severe penalty is imposed by placing 



274 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

the name on the small blackboard, and then the individual is 
not allowed to drink at all, nor is any one permitted to speak 
to him, until, after a while, he is allowed to drink his way 
back to a place of "honor" again. 

The hearty spirit shown when singing the songs deeply 
impresses us, as also the fact that there is never any refusal 
when a member is called upon to sing a verse alone; and this 
is apt to be the fate of that poor, unfortunate member who by 
nature is not endowed with a fine voice or a good ear for 
music. We hear the president commanding the individual to 
sing "solo." and when all should sing he commands "in 
cumulo." It also strikes us as rather strange language to hear 
the song to be sung announced, "Der Cantus preparirt sich," 
and later the instruction to the musicians or pianist, "Die 
Musik spielt die Weise vor"; it may probably be a long time 
before we fully comprehend the figure of speech in the com- 
mand to sing the first verse, "Der Cantus steigt" [the song 
rises], and the last verse, "Der Cantus faellt" [the song falls]. 
We of course for a long time wonder what the real aims of 
such meetings are, but in course of time we understand that 
just as meetings of individuals are held for the purpose of 
fostering religion, talking politics, considering questions of 
education, etc., so there are gatherings for the express purpose 
of cultivating the social instincts and feelings of mankind ; and 
we are able then to understand how it is that business people 
in Germany also form a clique or society and gather for strictly 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 275 

social purposes about a table, called *'Stamm-tisch," specially 
reserved for them at a popular restaurant. 

Perhaps we are fortunate enough to be present at a Kneipe 
when the special society newspaper, the Bier-Zeitung, is read, 
and we too can enjoy the many good puns, yarns and anecdotes 
about the various members, oftentimes accompanied by very 
amusing illustrations and caricatures. It may be that the amus- 
mg fox-ride is announced, the initiation which takes place when 
a fox becomes a bursch ; and we then see one or more foxes sit- 
ting astride the chairs, riding in this undignified manner around 
the table, stopping at every corner for a drink. Or we may 
happen to be present at the final kneipe of some popular mem- 
ber, who has finished his university course and will now enter 
upon his business or professional career, and on request we 
also take part in the torchlight procession in his honor. After 
the lights have been turned down and the departing member 
has taken seat in a chair placed at the table, all members and 
guests file in line around the table with a glass in one hand and 
a small lighted candle in the other, or it may be that the can- 
dle is affixed to the handle of the glass. A very appropriate 
and impressive song is sung and the honored member's glass is 
lightly touched in passing. When all verses have been sung 
and the candles are burned down the departing member rises, 
and in a short speech thanks his friends for all kindnesses and 
honors shown him, empties his glass, and then throws it with 



276 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

force to the floor, so that it breaks into many pieces, an indi- 
cation that it will never be used again. 

In all probability the president will make a short address, in 
which he will comment very pleasantly on the honor we have 
shown them in spending an evening at their rooms, and then 
call upon the members to 'Vub a salamander" in honor of the 
guests. Then, at the command, "Ad exercitium salamandri." 
they all rise, and following the several commands, drink, rub 
the glass on the table, and after the count "three" bring it down 
forcibly on the table. At the words, "Salamander ex! Collo- 
quium!" they will understand that the ceremony of the 
Salamander-rubbing is over, and that the previous command 
of "Silentium" made when the president began his speech is 
no longer in force, so that now they may all resume their con- 
versation. Naturally we ask why this interesting custom has 
the strange name "Salamander," but we find no one able to 
tell us, for nobody knows. The custom took its origin in the 
dim past, and the why and wherefore of it have been entirely 
forgotten. Our friends will then kindly explain to us that if 
they at any time receive the sad news of a former member's 
death, they honor the memory of the deceased by most quietly 
and solemnly "rubbing a salamander" in the air; and they tell 
11^ that if any corps-memb«r dies the representatives of all other 
societies, out of courtesy, attend the funeral, and after the 
burial services proceed to a large hall at one of the restaurants, 
where in all solemnity the final honor is shown by means of a 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 277 

salamander, which is quietly rubbed in the air, at the finish 
all glasses being thrown with such force to the floor that they 
all are broken, never to be used again. During the course of 
our visit we see many other customs, some of the fun making 
us think of Shakespeare's words, ''What fools these mortals 
be." and some reminding us that ''A little nonsense now and 
then, is relished by the wisest men.'^ 

When midnight approaches the president closes the official 
kneipe, but that does not mean that the members are now ready 
to go home, for he confers the honor of being first praesidium 
of the unofTlicial kneipe on some other member, generally out 
of courtesy called a ''Alter Herr," if he is now independent in 
his profession or calling. The foxes are commanded to carry 
him to the chair, and for an hour or two. with an occasional 
change of praesidium, the real jollification time is carried on, 
for the restraints and restrictions of the official kneipe are no 
longer in force. 

We learn that there are many other strange and interesting 
customs, as, for example, the "Landesvater." which in an 
inspiring and solemn manner is celebrated on some special 
occasion or anniversary, and if there is a large assembly of 
guests, may require an hour or two. For two leaders very 
appropriately dressed in the colors of the corps move from 
guest to guest on opposite sides of the long table, stand on the 
chairs while the parties rise and grasp each other's hands 
across the table; then, after singing and drinking to a pledge 



278 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

of perpetual friendship, thrust their respective caps on the 
sharp blade of the rapier, which is in the hand of the leader 
opposite. After the rounds have been finished and the rapiers 
are laden with caps, the leaders take a short recess ; then, begin- 
ning at the foot of the table, they slowly retrace their steps, 
and each man gets his own cap again. This is also done in an 
impressive and imposing manner, accompanied by good, 
hearty, wholesome singing. 

We also learn that on January 27th, Emperor William's 
birthday anniversary, a great Kneipe, called a Kommers, is cel- 
ebrated in the large city Festival-hall or Fest-halle, at which 
all societies and other students, including ladies, take part ; and 
which the professors, instructors, military commanders, clergy 
and other invited guests attend ; to this Kommers special tickets 
are issued for lady-visitors, who are admitted to the gallery. 
A second Kommers is celebrated in honor of Bismarck, who 
was a great student friend, and whose face, it is claimed, was 
not free from mensur scars. As his birthday, April i, comes in 
vacation time, the latter part of June, the time of the sum- 
mer solstice, has been selected for this Kommers. 

The evening spent at the student-kneipe has been so inter-, 
esting and instructive to us that we hardly realize how rapidly 
the time has passed, and that at last we must take our leave. 
We find these young Germans courteous to the end, for under 
no circumstances will they allow their guests to go home unac- 
companied, This gives further opportunity to review all our 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 279 

interesting experiences, and when finally we retire we do so 
deeply impressed with the fact that these students know how to 
have a good time and that nowhere else are students to be 
found like the German students. We feel that we can never 
forget the pleasant evening spent with them. 



STUDENT SOCIETIES. 

Can he not he sociable? 

— Troilus and Cressida: II, 3. 

In the foregoing account the words ''society" and "corps" 
have been used as applying to any organized union of stu- 
dents. It is proper to state here that the German students 
make very fine distinctions as regards these terms and are 
sensitive if the improper designation is applied to their asso- 
ciation. In the Freiburg university paper of June 22, 1909, a 
list of forty-two student '*Korporationen" is mentioned, and 
from this it is clear that some "corporations" are a Verbindung 
and others are a Burschenschaft or a Verein, or Turnverbin- 
dung, Landsmannschaft, Corps, Turnerschaft, etc. 

As the names chosen for these student clubs will certainly 
prove of interest to the American or English reader, the list 
of these forty-two societies at the Freiburg University is here- 
with given : 

I. Albingia, Verbindung. 2. Alemannia, Burschenschaft. 
3, Arminia, Catholic Verbindung. 4, Bavaria, Catholic Stu- 



28o Faces and Phases of German Life. 

dentenverein. 5. Bismarckbund. 6. Bremer Gesellschaft. 7. 
Brisgovia, Catholic Studentenverein. 8. Cheruskia, Turnver- 
bindung. 9. Cimbria, Landsmannschaft. 10. Deutsches Bund, 
abstinenter studenten. 11. Deutsche ChristHche Studenten- 
Vereinigung. 12, Franconia, Burschenschaft. 13. Freibund. 
14. Freie Vereinigung katholischer Studenten. 15. Germania, 
katholischer Studentenverein. 16. Ghibellinia, Verbindung. 

17. Gotia, pharmaceutisch-naturwissenschaftliche Verbindung. 

18. Guestphalia, Turnerschaft. 19. Hasso-Borussia, Corps. 
20. Helvetia, katholische Verbindung. 21. Hercynia, katho- 
lische Verbindung. 22. Hohenstaufen, katholische Verbin- 
dung. 23. Juria, Verbindung. 24. Klinizistenvereinigung. 
25. Markomanno-Albertia, Turnerschaft. 26. Mathematisch- 
Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein. 27. Rhenania, Corps. 28. 
Ripuaria, katholische Verbindung. 29. Russische akademische 
Lesehalle. 30. Saxo-Silesia, Burschenschaft. 31. Schwarz- 
wald, akademische Gesellschaft. 32. Silingia, schlesischer 
Stammtisch. 33. Skiklub. 34. Studentinnenverein [lady stu- 
dents' association]. 35. Suevia, Corps. 36. Teutonia, 
Burschenschaft. 2i7' Unitas, katholischer Studentenverein. 
38. Urach, katholischer Studentenverein. 39. Vandalia auf 
dem Loretto. 40. Verein deutscher Studenten. 41. Verein 
juedischer Studenten. 42. Zaringia, akademisch-musikalischer 
Verein. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 281 



MR. AND MRS. JASON. 
the: discontented couple. 

Whafs more miserable than discontent? 

—II Henry VI: III, i. 

This phase of German life will include the narration of 
several interesting experiences and customs, told in a series of 
chapters. 

Chapter I. 

THE CARNIVAL SEASON IN CATHOLIC FREIBURG. 

An he had been a dog that should have howled thus, they 
woidd have hanged him; and I pray God his bad voice bode 
no mischief. — Much Ado About Nothing: II, 3. 

Freiburg is a city almost a thousand years old, and has 
always been strongly Catholic; so much so that Protestant 
churches were not permitted there until the beginning of the 
past century. The city is justly proud of its beautiful cathe- 
dral, which dates back to the twelfth century, and of its uni- 
versity, the theological faculty of which is Roman Catholic. 
Of its 80,000 inhabitants fully three-fourths are Catholics, at 



282 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

their head a much-honored and highly-respected archbishop. 

In the spring of every year there comes a time in Freiburg 
and other cities of Southern and Western Germany, and of 
CathoHc countries in general, of great excitemnet, noise, happy- 
go-lucky disturbance, mischief of all sorts, etc., viz. : the carni- 
val season. You will readily recognize the derivation of the 
v^ord ''carnival," which really means, ''Good bye, Meat"; in 
other words, carnival-day is that church holiday which imme- 
diately precedes Ash-Wednesday and the days of fasting before 
Easter. 

In Northern Germany at Berlin and at other cities which 
are chiefly Protestant, there is no demonstration of any kind; 
but in the Rhine valley, especially at Cologne and at Mayence, 
this is a most important time of the year, and there are stand- 
ing committees which arrange for street parades and other 
interesting entertainments, endeavoring each year to surpass 
all preceding celebrations. 

In Freiburg for many weeks preceding the real carnival 
day there are private masquerade balls or other characteristic 
carnival entertainments, and on three or four successive Sunday 
evenings there are in the Fest-Halle, or main city festival hall, 
prize masquerade balls, at which the best costumes or the best 
group of persons, are rewarded with prizes. In order that the 
better class of people may also enjoy a masquerade ball, the so- 
called Buerger-Ball, or citizens' ball, is arranged by the city 
carnival committee, from which objectionable persons can be 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 283 

excluded ; for all parties purchasing tickets are obliged to sign 
their names and state their local standing. Accordingly, some 
parties may be refused tickets, even if they are willing to pay 
the price, and prompt forfeiture of any card of admission will 
ensue if improper use is made of it, which can be readily 
known, for all cards are numbered. This committee also 
arranges for a first-class ^'Kappen- Abend," or cap-evening, 
for Vv^hich special invitations are sent out. Various restaurants 
also have their own Kappen-Abend, to which an admission 
fee of about ten cents is charged, which fee includes the care 
of hat and coat, as also the price of the programme and words 
of the songs which will be sung during the course of the even- 
ing, and especially does it include a paper cap of bright, attrac- 
tive colors and of grotesque shape, sometimes adorned with 
funny proverbs, etc., to be worn during the evening. 

To a stranger attending a Kappen-Abend for the first time 
it is a very interesting sight to see a large hall packed to over- 
flowing with men wearing a most striking variety of headgear 
of all sorts, and sitting at the table with lunch or drink before 
them, all filled with the thought of "Why have cares for to-day, 
isn't to-morrow long enough ?" The hall is, as a rule, beauti- 
fully decorated, sometimes with very costly paintings, which 
the restaurant-keeper can well afford, for three or four such 
cap-evenings certainly bring in a great deal of money. As 
can be imagined, the presiding ofiicer is selected for his quick 
wit and ready humor, and will not let escape him a chance for 



284 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

a good joke at anybody's expense; with natural humor and 
ready wit he is able to keep up to a high degree of excitement 
and enthusiasm the already happy feelings of the visitors. As 
an example, I may mention one certain Kappen- Abend when a 
few Americans attended who were not quite yet in full sym- 
pathy with the hilarity round about them, and were just glanc- 
ing at a local evening paper for a few minutes, when the sharp 
eye of the leader observed them and immediately recognized the 
parties as foreigners. He called the visitors to order, inform- 
ing them that he had something very important to tell them, 
and humorously began to narrate a long story, or perhaps we 
would call it a yarn, about two travelers from New York, the 
city of many newspapers, who on a twelve-day passage across 
the Atlantic had done nothing but read newspaper after news- 
paper, and had even continued to do so after their arrival in 
Europe; they cared not for sight-seeing, for cities, parks and 
cathedrals, nor for museums and art-galleries, if only they 
had newspapers at hand. He further stated that it afforded 
him the greatest pleasure to be able to inform his hearers that 
they had in their midst these two great world-travelers; and 
that the habit of newspaper-reading had such a firm hold on 
them that they were still keeping up their world-wide reputa- 
tion. Then all present were requested to rise and drink to the 
health of these two welcome visitors, which accordingly was 
cheerfully done. Of course this speech caused considerable 
amusement and centered all eyes upon these two Americans, 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 285 

who good-naturedly took this as it was intended, and with a 
pleasant recognition of the joke enjoyed it evidently as much 
as the others, for fun and frolic were the order of the day. 
On these evenings many excellent hits are made pertaining to 
events which have transpired during the year just passed, and 
any matters of special interest and importance in the city dur- 
ing the previous year are humorously reviewed, and even the 
public acts of individuals are touched upon in word and song. 
While all this time of happy celebration is going on, any 
excessive disturbance on the street is promptly checked by the 
police, except during the last three days. The noise on the 
street begins in full earnest on the Sunday afternoon preced- 
ing Ash- Wednesday, and for about three or four hotirs there is 
a general parading up and down the few blocks of the main 
street, by masked people, whose identity is hard to tell, while 
the noise and racket are not exceeded by the American boy's 
Fourth of July nor by the American students' rejoicing after 
a baseball or boat-race victory. Many of the storekeepers do 
a great business selling bags of confetti and rolls of serpen- 
tines and any sort of implement or instrument which can be 
used for the purpose of making the most hideous noises. The 
policemen are then present only to see that the disorder, how- 
ever disorderly it may be, does not become a disorderly disor- 
der, and perhaps my readers can imagine such a thing; in 
other words, the disturbance is kept within bounds. Quite nat- 
urally any young woman who ventures on the street without 



286 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

a gentleman escort Is sometimes very unpleasantly, even rudely, 
dealt with, but it has been well said that if a young woman 
wishes to escape the improper liberties which are taken by 
masked individuals, it is her special privilege to stay at home. 
It is hardly proper, however, to say, as I have heard people 
claim, that no respectable woman would at such a time be seen 
on the street, for there is no reason why a young woman would 
not be just as anxious to see the fun and nonsense as a young 
man would. After dark the crowd leaves the street and the 
boisterous fun is continued until the early morning hours in 
the various restaurants and cafes, which do not specially pro- 
hibit the throwing of confetti and serpentines. Three days and 
nights of such senseless jollifications is a pretty hard dose for 
the average young man, as also for his pocketbook. 

As personal experiences, I will mention that my vice- 
consul, quietly strolling down the street to a religious meeting, 
was suddenly pounced upon by two masked men, who seemed 
to know him and all his affairs well, and teased and taunted him 
until a treat was given them at his expense. On another occa- 
sion a young German, apparently from one of the hotels, 
called at the consulate at 5 o'clock to make an appointment 
for a gentleman whose name he could not tell ; in this way he 
made sure that I would be at home that evening. But when 
the bell rang at 8 o'clock, the appointed time, a group of three 
called, all masked, who were politely invited to enter and who 
enjoyed themselves for a while in true carnival style. In due 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 287 

course of time the high-pitched voices became more natural, 
and each of the three, two gentlemen and a lady, was recog- 
nized, and the pleasantries were continued together in the 
town. 

The contrast between the last day of the carnival and the 
following day, Ash-Wednesday, Is most plainly marked, and I 
have been informed that some parties after three nights of 
boisterous activity, not at an end until four or five o'clock in 
the morning, would nevertheless do penances for their many 
misdeeds by being at church as early as seven o'clock on Ash- 
Wednesday. It is also a rather droll sight during the forenoon 
to see the street-cleaners busy sweeping together piles and piles 
of confetti, the accumulations of the three days of fun, and 
carting them away to the city refuse grounds. 

On the afternoon and evening of Ash-Wednesday, in some 
nine or ten restaurants, there occurs what has been previously 
much advertised in the papers, viz.: Frauenrecht [I. e., Wom- 
an's Right], which means the rights of woman in a slightly 
different sense from what we understand by that term in Amer- 
ica. The idea is that the previous occasions of noise and hilar- 
ity were the prerogative of man, so now woman can and must 
avenge herself by having a specially gay time, which she can 
call her own. At these several places, which have made known 
their intention to celebrate in honor of Woman, the women 
who wish to avail themselves of this special privilege congre- 
gate in the afternoon to drink coffee, eat cake, and gossip, and 



288 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

in the evening are joined by their husbands and gentlemen 
friends, who are all welcomed, notwithstanding "Frauenrecht.'' 
The evening is most pleasantly whiled away in enjoyable chats 
at the table, in music and recitations, or an occasional dance, 
for in the larger restaurants musicians are engaged for the 
evening and also humorists; and with recitations, songs and 
dances a very pleasant time is spent, while the receipts of the 
restaurant keeper are very perceptibly increased. 



Chapter 11. 

THE CARNIVAI, SEASON IN PROTESTANT BASEI.. 

With boisterous iintun'd drums, 
And harsh resounding trumpets' dreadfid bray. 
And grating shock of wrathfid iron arms. 

—Richard II: I, 3. 

In the preceding chapter an account was given of the cele- 
bration of the carnival in the Catholic districts of Germany, 
more especially in the city of Freiburg, Baden, which is 
strongly Catholic; but in the present chapter we shall learn of 
a carnival celebration in a strongly Protestant city just across 
the boundary of Germany; namely, Basel, Switzerland, thirty- 
six miles south of Freiburg, which has 112,885 inhabitants, 
over two-thirds of which are Protestants. In this city the great 
street affairs, which characterize the carnival season, take place 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 289 

one week later than in the other places, or rather a week and 
a day, for Sunday is just as quiet and orderly as other Sun- 
days are in Basel, and all disturbing noises are prohibited by 
municipal regulation, no celebrations being permitted on the 
street until four o'clock on Monday morning. At that early 
hour the people of Basel are awakened from their slumbers by 
the loud noises of many drums, which bring the fact most 
forcibly to their minds that the three days of jollification and 
hilarity have begun. The various private societies or organiza- 
tions of the city form interesting groups, and, masked, start 
on orderly processions through the many streets of the business 
part of Basel. There may be perhaps twenty to fifty of these 
companies, each acting independently of the others, and all with 
the one aim in view, viz. : to have a good time and make a 
satisfactory representation. They carry transparencies, which 
are illuminated at night-time or in the early morning, and so 
give a rather weird effect; their costumes, the texts and illus- 
trations of these transparencies, etc., are all based on anything 
this private club choose to select, whether it pertain to some les- 
son in history, art, literature, mythology ; or to some great scan- 
dal that may have occurred in Berlin, Paris, London, New 
York ; or some funny incident of the war then being waged. 
Generally some matter of local interest, which has been the 
talk of the town during the previous year, is selected, and so 
the recollections and memories of past events are revived. 
These many little groups march in orderly and systematic fash- 



290 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

ion through the streets of the city, headed by the nievitable 
drum-corps, specially characteristic of Basel, for the drum 
seems to be the one great patriotic musical instrument of Basel, 
surpassing in the estimation of the citizens all other instruments 
in both quantity and quality. And how every one can drum, 
even the smallest of schoolboys being experts. This drumming 
must be seen, and especially heard, to be properly appreciated. 
A Basel carnival season will be indelibly impressed upon one's 
mind because of the drum; the big drum, the little drum, the 
base-drum, *the kettle-drum — in fact, anything that can make 
good, sound, loud drum-noise is the instrument of the day and 
season at Basel. I say ''day and season," for I have been ' 
informed that the authorities do not permit the drum-practice 
throughout the whole year, but only for a few weeks preceding 
carnival time. 

So characteristic of Basel is the drum, that it is said that 
a former Swiss Consul-General at New York, who was him- 
self a native of Basel, and hence knew wdiat drumming was, 
kept a drum in his office, and if at any time a Swiss caller vis- 
ited him claiming to come from Basel, promptly invited him to 
manipulate the drum, and credited or discredited his story 
according as he showed ability and skill in using the drumsticks. 

This early morning review ends at about sunrise, when 
each participant goes home to a hearty, well-earned breakfast, 
and then to his daily employment, but on Monday afternoon 
these several parades all take place again, and the streets are 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 291 

crowded with visitors, who have flocked to Basel from all the 
surrounding territory, far and near. Great quantities of con- 
fetti and serpentines are thrown, also barley and grain of all 
kinds, and there is even a senseless throwing of oranges, the 
very cheapest kinds, of course, many a bystander receiving an 
unwelcome surprise when an orange from a passing wagon of 
masked paraders strikes him in the face. And as can well be 
imagined, an orange thrown up at some young ladies sitting at 
an open window may miss its mark and pass through a pane 
of glass instead, while the owner can never ascertain who 
caused the destruction of the glass, and so will be obliged to 
count the loss as among his expenses for the carnival. Of 
course, there are also many persons celebrating who do not 
belong to any associations, and who, masked, promenade along 
the main thoroughfares and manage to get a great deal of fun 
and merriment out of the day, very rarely molesting any spec- 
tator who is not masked, a different rule from that observed 
at Freiburg. The experiences of Monday naturally cause many 
citizens to feel weary and exhausted, so Tuesday is observed as 
a special day of rest and quiet, partly to restore the energy and 
vigor lost through excessive celebration on the preceding day, 
but especially, we might say, to recuperate and accumulate 
more energy and hilarious vigor for the final celebration on 
Wednesday. Tuesday is the day of very fashionable balls in 
several of the halls of Basel, including a special children's 
masquerade entertainment and ball in the afternoon. The car- 



292 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

nival street exercises on Wednesday are but a repetition of 
those on Monday, and begin again at four o'clock in the morn- 
ing, being continued through the afternoon and evening. 

As an illustration of what grotesque groups appear on the 
Basel streets at such a time, I may say that one year a great 
deal was said, sung and pictured pertaining to the two Ameri- 
cans whose automobile had suddenly become unmanageable 
while they were crossing the Rhine bridge at Basel, carrying 
them with it into the river, from which they were rescued with 
great difficulty. Another group, where all members of the 
club looked like gigantic cigars walking lengthwise through the 
streets with botanical bags and boxes on their backs, immor- 
talized a curious little smuggling incident, where a city school- 
teacher, who it was proved had also an interest as partner in a 
cigar-store, made frequent botanical trips with his classes 
across the boundary into Germany, to study the German flora, 
but it seemed took special interest only in that botanical weed 
called tobacco, with which all bags and boxes were well stocked 
before returning home. The same incident was also illus- 
trated by another group where all appeared dressed as school- 
boys, with cigar-boxes strapped to their backs. Perhaps the 
teacher's well-planned schemes would still be meeting with 
great success, and perhaps his tobacco income would exceed his 
school income if one of his girl pupils had not, unfortunately 
for him, become engaged to one of the custom house officials, 
^nd under the influence of that queer state of the human mind 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 293 

called love become very talkative, especially about school mat- 
ters. With the happy spirit of an innocent girl in love, she 
spoke of these many ^'tobacco" excursions, betraying her 
teacher, and so causing a most thorough examination of the 
botanical boxes on the next excursion, to the great discom- 
fiture of the teacher and the amusement of the people of Basel, 
especially of these societies, which saw in that incident some- 
thing very interesting for carnival. 

Another group told the story of a clever student trick. 
When the new bridge across the Rhine was completed it was 
decided by the municipal council that the first parties to cross 
it should be His Honor the Mayor, the Board of Aldermen, and 
invited guests. Some university students, however, decided 
differently, for they felt that that honor should belong to the 
university and especially to them ; so they carried these schemes 
into execution, to the great amusement of the townsfolk, and 
with the consequent efTect of a twenty-franc fine for each of 
the offenders. The students carried their joke a little farther 
by paying this fine promptly in the form of centimes, 2,000 
pieces of copper for each individual, to the great inconvenience 
and vexation of the town treasurer, who was obliged to hire 
extra help to count the money. One of the boys was the son 
of a banker, who sympathized with the students and their little 
fun, and helped them out in their plan of revenge for the fine. 

That our American students are able to appreciate the 
same kind of fun was brought vividly to my memory, for I 



294 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

recalled a personal experience at Yale University, when our 
professor in mechanical drawing explained that the drawing- 
boards would be loaned to us, but each student was expected 
to pay twenty-five cents for the use of his, such amount to be 
paid at the next drawing period. One student interpreted that 
* 'twenty-five cents" as twenty-five times one cent, and managed 
to bring to class a sufficient number of cents to change into 
pennies all the quarters which the other students had brought. 
Each man, when his name was called, brought to the profes- 
sor a pocketful of coin, which at first was counted, but later 
was accepted without more loss of time. In recalling this expe- 
rience years later the professor informed me that while he 
found many buttons among the coins, it seemed to him that 
they were intended as an extra joke, for the actual count 
showed that he had received a full dozen cents more than he 
should have received. 

On another occasion at Basel the amusing through tragi- 
cally sad experiences of an insect-destroyer were told in poetry, 
song and picture. It seems that this party was a professional 
in his line and guaranteed his work because of the thoroughness 
with which his machine worked, for when this was once set 
in action in any room or house, it generated such deadly gases 
that all vermin and bugs were quickly killed. Unfortunately 
for him, however, the gases one time proved very destructive 
to the apparatus, which exploded with such force that the 
house was damaged to the amount of 10,000 francs, which this 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 295 

poor fellow was obliged to pay. The new Rhine-harbor 
intended for Basel, as also the great Basel specialty of the bak- 
eries, the so-called Baseler Leckerle, or honey-cake, each 
received proper recognition, and Count Zeppelin's dirigible bal- 
loon, as also the Wright brothers' aeroplanes, will certainly 
receive their full share of attention in the near future, for it 
would not be characteristic of the people of Basel to let such 
important matters escape their attention. 

After the street processions on Monday and Wednesday of 
carnival week at Basel, it is very interesting to sit for three or 
four hours in one of the many restaurants or public gardens, 
where by signs displayed in the windows, the public is invited 
to enter because the "Schnitzel-baenke" will be sung there, a 
word which it is hard to define, being properly understood and 
appreciated only after a person has attended one of these 
affairs. Most of the restaurants charge no admission fee, but 
some charge a half-franc, which serves to insure a more appre- 
ciative audience, as well as to guarantee a seat. These little 
companies of paraders go from one place to another with their 
beautifully illuminated transparencies, and their arrival is of 
course indicated by the drums. They sing their songs and 
ditties in the original Basel German dialect, usually to the tune 
of familiar melodies, with many a pointed hit at officials or 
others who have been noteworthy in the history of Basel dur- 
ing the previous year. One of the party carries a large scroll, 
which contains many comical pictures ilustrative of each verse 



296 Faces and Phases of German Life, 

sung, and the spokesman usually strikes the picture with his 
wand very forcibly, singing the virtues and vices of the indi- 
vidual in solo form, the others joining in the chorus. Copies 
of the words, printed on slips of colored paper, are freely dis- 
tributed in the evening as they were in the afternoon during 
the street parades. The "Schnitzel-baenke" Association, of 
which all these individual clubs are members has an under- 
standing with the several restaurant keepers; these have to 
pay for the privilege of having the songs sung and acted in 
their halls, which they can well afford to do, for the presence 
of such great crowds assures a considerable sum from the sale 
of food and drink. Accordingly when one of these companies 
enters the restaurant the pre-arranged fee is paid out to them 
first before the singing is begun, but I have seen private par- 
ties call to sing or perform to whom the fee was refused, 
although the privilege was given to ^'carry on" as they wished 
to, without pay. One of the special privileges granted to the 
merrymakers who may visit the opera house during these few 
days at Basel is that they, if in masked costume, are per- 
mitted to go on the stage and ''fool with" the performers there. 
Naturally the play or opera on such an evening is a failure from 
an artistic standpoint, for how can a singer do justice to her 
role if she is interrupted by a clown, who suddenly falls down 
on his knees before her and imploringly and most beseechingly 
stretches out his hands to her, or stands at her side singing with 
her or gently fanning her? Of course the opera as a musical 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 297 

production is spoiled, but as a special treat for carnival is 
enjoyed. With Wednesday night the celebration in Basel is 
at an end and the city resumes its usual state of business activ- 
ity, just as is the case with us after a glorious Fourth of July. 

The carnival at Basel stands out in marked contrast to the 
celebrations in Freiburg, though the two cities are not forty 
miles apart and the same language is spoken at both. The 
kinds of masks and costumes are far nicer, more expensive 
and of an entirely different type from those seen in Freiburg; 
and besides the maskers on the street do not molest those who 
are not masked and who are merely spectators; which is not 
the case in Freiburg, for there no one is free from the gener- 
ally harmless but sometimes disagreeable fun of the maskers. 

My readers may well ask why the carnival in Basel comes 
eight days later than at Freiburg and at other places where it 
is observed, and they may be interested to know why the cele- 
bration at Basel occurs in the Lenten season, when we expect 
people to be quiet and penitent, and to refrain from all noises, 
loud disturbances, dances, etc. 

The explanation given by some of the citizens of Basel is 
as follows : Basel, written also Basle, is now and always has 
been a strong Protestant city. Now the Protestants are just 
as much human beings as the Catholics, and as such are as 
anxious to have a good time of fun and nonsense as their 
Catholic brethren in other towns. "Yes," they say, "we must 
also have a carnival, but it would not be proper for us to have 



298 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

our carnival season of fun and jollification at the same time as 
the Catholic cities, for then we should be imitating and even 
sanctioning the Catholic church days," etc. They fe-el that it 
would be more consistent with their ideas of "protesting" to 
show their Catholic brethren that they have their noise and 
gay, happy time right within the Lenten period, the quiet, 
sacred time, even a few days after Ash-Wednesday. Such 
feelings probably prompted the origin of the Basel carnival, 
but in course of time these feelings have been forgotten, so 
that now it is simply an annual festival of the city, and undoubt- 
edly the Catholics of Basel enjoy this great merry-making time 
each year, just as the Protestants in Freiburg contribute their 
share towards it eight days previously. 

Chapter III. 

"schwi^ge:rmutte:r." 

Nozv they are clapper-clazmng one another. Fll go look 
on. — Troilus and Cressida : V, 4. 

After the foregoing description we are now prepared for 
an introduction to the subject of this sketch, Mrs. Jason, who 
was first caught sight of on the main street of Freiburg during 
one of the rather rowdy street affairs of a carnival season a 
few years ago. While promenading along Kaiser Street watch- 
ing the many little episodes and tricks to be seen everywhere 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 299 

there suddenly resounded through the air a general loud chorus 
of voices shouting: ''Schwiegermutter, Schwiegermutter, Oh! 
Schwiegermutter," etc., the German word for "mother-in-law," 
that class of human beings which even in philosophical Ger- 
many the comical papers do not spare. At the call of ''Schwie- 
germutter" all eyes were immediately turned towards the com- 
pany of masked students, and there strolling along slowly 
among the many spectators, all alone with a large umbrella in 
her hand, was a rather tall woman with broad shoulders, a 
sharp long nose and pronounced features generally, short gray 
hair and a look of determination firmly set on her face, in 
short, having in every respect the appearance and air of a 
''Schwiegermutter," so much so that on this carnival season, 
where so many were wearing masks and special costumes, it 
seemed at first thought even possible that this woman had taken 
special pains to assume the role of a mother-in-law. The young 
men took great pleasure in teasing her, and were evidently 
enjoying themselves exceedingly as well as affording fun and 
amusement for all the spectators gathered about them. 

Their repeated teasing caused many an onslaught upon 
them with the umbrella, and these attacks and their running 
simply added to the fun; as did also the words concerning 
behavior and gentlemanly conduct in general so freely given by 
the abused party. By her own actions towards them at this 
time she made them all feel that in their judgment of her they 
had made no mistake. While their conduct under other circum- 



300 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

stances would have been exceedingly rude, we must remem- 
ber that on an occasion like this no attention must be paid to 
such apparent rudeness, which the circumstances permitted, 
and if Mrs. Jason did not wish nor like such jollification at 
her expense she should not have been on the streets at a time 
like this, but should have staid in the side streets if duty, not 
curiosity, obliged her to leave her room that afternoon. As 
I learned later, this woman was born in Freiburg, so that 
from youth she was familiar with the habits and customs 
of her native city, and probably as a child had had her share 
of fun, too. 



Chapter IV. 

THE PSYCHIATRIC CUNIC. 

This is the very coinage of your brain: 

This bodiless creation ecstasy 

is very cunning in. — Hamlet: III, 4. 

We will now leave the carnival scenes and turn our atten- 
tion to an entirely different phase of human life. There is 
at Freiburg one of the most noted universities in Germany, 
the names of some of its professors being world-renowned, 
while some have even been called to chairs in our American 
universities. One of the most popular departments is the 
medical. Having an interest in medical studies, I was glad 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 301 

to have the opportunity of hstening to some of these noted 
courses, and as a character-student was specially interested in 
the course at the Psychiatric Clinic, where the professor brings 
before the class patients suffering from diseased brains and 
consequent mental troubles, and by systematic questioning leads 
them to relate their troubles and woes, while the student- 
doctors thus make themselves very familiar with this class of 
patients. A great number and variety of cases were studied : 
Those whose brains refuse to act, so that they have become, as 
it were, mere specimens of life, without mentality; others who 
are no longer self-conscious, but shout in a commanding voice 
and perhaps pick out a student and kiss him before the others ; 
others who have gone money-mad, and who know that they 
are going to win a million marks; others who have become 
insane on religious matters, one claiming that her deceased 
husband had owned the whole earth and that the Pope had sold 
it to him for a certain amount; another one claiming that she 
had been present at the creation of the world, was with Noah 
in the great ark, and w^as also at the Crucifixion of Christ, 
stating that she could distinctly remember everything that had 
taken place, and that the thing which had impressed her most 
was the fact that Adam in the Garden of Eden was wearing 
bright red trousers. There were others who wept before the 
class, fearing that they were before a court which was about 
to sentence them to death because of their many sins ; and still 
others who would address students and professors in the vilest 



302 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

language imaginable. The great majority were of course 
patients who through trouble or grief, financial losses, etc., 
had become insane. Some were there because of tlieir own 
misdoings, the life of dissipation which they had been leading 
for many years having at last unbalanced their minds. I recall 
the case of a young married man who had created disturbance 
in his household and was arrested, and on recommendation of 
the court was placed in an asylum, so that the professor in 
charge could give an opinion as to his mental responsibility. 
This young man admitted the various charges against him, and 
said that while formerly he had been a hard-working man, dili- 
gent and faithful to his trust, he had since his marriage degen- 
erated, had neglected his work and squandered in dissipation 
whatever money he could lay his hands on. But he made one 
counter-charge, namely, that his wife was responsible for the 
change in his conduct and his habits, and that she had really 
driven him to dissipation. No attention was paid to this 
countercharge, for that implied domestic troubles and consti- 
tuted a problem which the psychiatric clinic was not expected 
to solve. But we may well consider his words, for this man 
was held in the highest estimation before his marriage, was 
of sound morals, of good habits and an excellent workman. 
May it not be possible that this man's v^ife, dissatisfied with her 
lot and with her husband, jealous of her friends, whose hus- 
bands earned more money, had become nervous and fretful and 
had made the man's life miserable with her repinings, until 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 303 

she had driven him to evil ways and sent him to ruin? My 
comments are merely general, and not special, so that my read- 
ers can properly appreciate the great responsibility of woman 
and wife, of whom the great German poet, Goethe, has so 
beautifully declared: ''Das Ewig-Weibliche zieht uns hinan" 
("The eternal feminine drags us on"), for woman through her 
sweet influence has the power to lead her husband up to the 
highest pinnacle of fame and success, or she may send him 
down to the bottomless pit of despair and ruin. 



Chapter V. 

A SPECIAI, CASE. 

Even as one heat another heat expels 
Or as one nail hy strength drives out another. 
So the remembrance of my former love 
Is by a nezver object quite forgot. 

— Two Gentlemen of Verona : II, 4. 

After the foregoing remarks we shall be the better pre- 
pared to understand the special case which is to be the subject 
for study in this chapter. One evening, and ''evening" is the 
correct word, for this course of study at the university was 
from six to seven o'clock at night, a very interesting patient 
was brought before the class, a tall, stately-looking man, by 
nativity an Englishman, able to talk on any topic whatsoever, 



304 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

for he was an intelligent individual, although his logic was not 
of the highest order nor of that kind of reasoning which peo- 
ple in general would accept as correct. While other patients 
entered the lecture-room either in a very sad and depressed 
state of mind, or glanced about with nervous and suspicious 
look, or offered resistance and made trouble for the attendants, 
one or more of whom always accompanied the patients, this 
individual entered in a calm and dignified manner, immacu- 
lately attired in full evening dress, with white kid gloves, a 
high silk hat in his hand, and a beautiful red rose in his but- 
tonhole. He gave the attendants not the slightest trouble, but 
rather felt highly elated over the great honor of appearing 
before an audience of doctors, for the fact seemed to offer a 
special gratification to his feelings of pride and vanity. He 
had the appearance and air of being every inch a polished gen- 
tleman of great wealth, of wide experience in life and great 
intelligence, perfect in conduct, faultless in dress, scrupu- 
lously clean and neat, decent in morals, to judge from his own 
statements. To all inquiries he gave suitable answers, never an 
evasive reply. He had taken great pains to come elegantly 
dressed and to be above reproach in his manners and behavior ; 
for it was necessary, at any rate that was his modest claim, to 
appear fine in order to make a good impression on such a 
noble, distinguished audience. This man's life, as outlined by 
himself, had been a very strange and variable one in more 
ways than one, for though born in England he had been a 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 305 

rover throughout the whole world and a sort of Jack-of-all- 
trades, for he had tried to earn his living in various professions : 
For many years he had been a clerk or vice-consul in one of 
the British consulates on the Continent; he had also taught 
foreign languages in one of the schools of England, and tiring 
of that had organized a school for boys in Switzerland. He 
was a typical man of the world, who knew what it was to live 
well and who had his own original interpretation of the Biblical 
verse, ''Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," for his aims 
were ever towards self -enjoyment, and no importance was laid 
upon the thought of saving for a rainy day. He had some 
original ideas about women and wives, who, he claimed, were 
not created to be helpmates but slaves to man. He declared 
that he had lost two wives, who did not amount to much, any- 
way, and now he had a third w^ife, with whom he said he could 
not get along, for she was too strict with him and did not let 
him do as he pleased, and besides she raised very strong objec- 
tions every time that he wrote letters to other women, which 
he felt that he had a right to do. Moreover, he expressed sur- 
prise that his wife should expect him to support her, for he 
had never learned of any good Biblical reason why a man 
should feed his wife. In answer to the questions put to him he 
frankly admitted before the class that he was just then planning 
to be divorced from his wife, for he had seen somebody whom 
he loved better and who was really his "affinity," and would 
accordingly be a better wife to him, for he knew she would let 



3o6 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

him do as he pleased. He was perfectly willing to admit fur- 
ther that he had, since coming to the institution, commenced to 
write love-letters to another party. He had already proposed 
marriage to this person, who was a nurse in the psychiatric 
clinic, and who was very kind to him, for she brought him 
such good coffee each day that he was ready at a moment's 
notice to marry her, if only the authorities would hurry and 
grant him the desired divorce from his present wife. Another 
frank admission on his part was that once upon a time, after he 
had received a little inheritance, he celebrated his good luck 
by inviting a few good friends and squandering the full amount 
on champagne and in riotous living for a few days, enjoying 
the most delightful time of his whole life; for he even took a 
bath in pure champagne, and enjoyed it immensely to see bottle 
after bottle of the precious stuff emptied into an ordinary 
bathtub, a pleasure which he would never forget. As an actual 
fact, he became so accustomed to this dissipation and riotous 
living that when this little fortune was completely gone he con- 
tinued to lead a spendthrift life and contracted a multitude 
of bills and debts, which he left for his poor wife to pay. 
When asked whether he thought that was the proper thing to 
do, he claimed that she had nothing else to do, and she ought 
to be thankful to him and appreciate him more than she did, for 
he was not troubling her with the cares of housework, as he 
was out most of the time, so of course she had time enough 
to go to work and earn the money to pay his debts. It was 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 307 

impossible for him to understand why she did not Hke to see 
him having a good time. 

When this man was questioned about his new lady-love, 
who served him with such satisfactory meals every day, he 
praised in the highest terms the food at the psychiatric clinic, 
explaining that he had traveled all over the whole world, not 
only on the continent of Europe, but also in South Africa and 
even in Australia, and had stopped at the best and most expen- 
sive hotels everywhere, but never did he have such good food 
served as this young women brought him every day at this 
clinic. 

Quite naturally the student-doctors were very much inter- 
ested in this peculiar case, for the man was deeply impressed 
with the correctness of his views and ideas, which he stated in 
a perfectly clear and philosophical manner, apparently fully 
conscious of all he was saying. He realized that he was in 
an insane asylum, and spoke of asylums in other cities where 
he had been confined, declaring that he liked the one at Frei- 
burg better than any others. He knew that he was confined 
because of the irrational tendencies of his mind, and yet he, in 
a calm and dignified manner, claimed that everything was all 
right with him, that he was not sick in any respect, and could 
not understand why he was kept there ; for certainly his brain 
and mind were perfectly normal and correct, and he was sure 
that he had a ''mens sana in corpore sano.'* He expressed 
himself as satisfied to remain indefinitely in the asylum, for 



3o8 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

he could see his lady-love every day, while otherwise he would 
have to endure bad treatment from his wife, who now could 
not make life miserable for him. 

While the general appearance of this man, as well as the 
special elegance of his clothes, impressed one favorably, yet 
his eyes did not present a normal appearance. The eyes can 
be poetically referred to as the windows of the soul; for joy 
and sorrow, smiles and tears, love and anger, praise and blame, 
the brightness of intelligence and the blankness of idiocy, the 
virtues and blessings of health and the vices and miseries of 
disease — in fact, all emotions, all thought, all feelings, all 
expressions and impressions of the mind within look out 
through these open windows. The eyes of this man, the spe- 
cial subject of the present chapter, really expressed nothing; 
they glanced into space blank and dull, almost like those of a 
new-born infant. He had eyes which should have seen, but 
they saw not; they were avenues for instruction and develop- 
ment of the mind within, but his mind comprehended not. 

When ready to be escorted out of the lecture-room, this 
individual was very exact and careful regarding his manners, 
courteously bidding good-day to the class, taking great pains 
to adjust his coat and tie, drawing on his kid gloves and care- 
fully arranging the beautiful rose in his buttonhole. While he 
made a very marked impression upon his audience, it was not 
in accordance with the time-worn proverb that ''Dress makes 
the man," but more in line with the thought th^t ''All is not 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 309 

•gold that glitters," and that the greatest rogue may at times 
play the role of the most refined and courteous gentleman, 
though he be at heart merely a wolf in sheep's clothing. 



Chapter VI. 

A VISIT :^ROM MRS. JASON. 

There's nothing in this world can make me joy; 
Life is as tedious as a tzmce-told tale 
Vexing the didl ear of a drowsy man. 

— King John: III, 4. 

Many months after the incidents mentioned in the pre- 
ceding two chapters had occurred, a woman called at the 
office, whose face seemed quite familiar, though for the 
moment it was impossible to recall just where I had before 
seen her. Soon, however, during the course of the interview, 
the full recollection of the past came clearly before my mind, 
for I now recognized her as the ''Schwiegermutter" of the 
carnival season the year before, and it was also perfectly evi- 
dent to me that on that memorable occasion she had not 
appeared in a special mother-in-law carnival costume, but that 
it was her natural look. It was not long before I realized from 
her story that her husband, too, was no stranger to me, for 
he was no other than the refined and elegant gentleman of 
the insane asylum. A sorrowful tale of woe and misery was 



310 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

told me by this woman, for her fate had been a very hard one 
and undeserved, even if her own character and disposition were 
such that they did certainly add to the non-adaptability in mar- 
riage between these two individuals. The facts which she 
related were not new to me; for had I not heard them from 
her husband's lips? And he had not in any respect prevari- 
cated, but had simply upheld his erratic course as one perfectly 
consistent with right. According to her story, he had married 
her only because she had had a little money, for having pre- 
viously squandered all his possessions, he felt that he needed 
some more money to squander, and to him there was no easier 
way to ''earn" it than by marrying a woman who had some. 
She had many comments to make on that great champagne 
dinner, which he had given in Basel to his friends and for 
which later on she was obliged to pay. She was at this time 
paying his expenses at the clinic, which made it hard for her, 
and if she could not receive help soon she would be in very 
destitute circumstances, and what would become of her hus- 
band, who would be transferred to a lower class at the clinic, 
where the accommodations, food and associates would be dif- 
ferent; moreover this would also affect her standing in the 
community. In order to feel that she was in a higher social 
class, she was willing to deprive herself of all comforts and 
necessities, so that her husband would fare in the best possi- 
ble manner at the clinic, knowing that people would judge 
her standing by what she was doing for him, though she knew 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 311 

she could never live happily with him and really did not expect 
to live with him again, for she understood that he was hope- 
lessly insane. 

This woman wanted the American government to help her 
if possible; she imagined that American consuls and British 
consuls were identical, for to her mind they were both ''Eng- 
lish" consuls, as that was the language of both. She was of 
course referred to the British consul at Mannheim, and also 
informed that even if she were an American by birth, no 
American consulate anywhere could give her the desired assis- 
tance, for the United States Government appropriated no 
money for the support of its citizens in distress in foreign 
countries, the only ones who could expect aid being stranded 
American sailors in seaport towns, who receive a free passage 
back to America. She claimed that she could not afford to spend 
the money for a trip to Mannheim, a distance of 120 miles from 
Freiburg, and that she had already written to Mannheim with- 
out accomplishing anything, and begged that I show her an 
act of kindness by writing to relations of her husband in Eng- 
land, for she was a native of Freiburg, and had never been in 
England, and besides could neither speak nor write the English 
language. She also stated that she had applied to the local 
authorities for assistance in her troubles, but her marriage to 
this man had changed the whole aspect of things for her. If 
she had not married she would still be a German subject, and 
would then be entitled to some assistance, but now, as the 



312 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

wife of an Englishman, she also was English, a foreigner, 
though still living in her native city, and accordingly she could 
expect no help from Germany, but would have to seek aid 
from England. My readers will probably recall here the case 
of the young German, referred to on a previous page. 

The experiences of Mrs. Jason were certainly very hard 
and trying. Life to her had lost its charm and poetry, and 
had become dull and dreary. Not a ray of hope to brighten 
and cheer her. Not a smile nor a pleasant word in her home. 
She had cause to be discouraged, for what was to become of 
her, and what would be the fate of her husband, whom she 
always spoke of as being detained in the "physicalische" clinic, 
for the word "psychiatrische" was beyond her compass? She 
feared that he might be taken to the poorhouse, where the city 
would pay all of his expenses, but where he would not fare 
so well. 

Correspondence with his relatives in England could not 
bring any assistance to her, for they did not know her per- 
sonally, nor did they care anything about her, and her hus- 
band had been the black sheep of the family and had been 
leading the life of a prodigal son, whom they would not wel- 
come back to England, but were only too glad to have remain 
on the Continent. He had had oportunities in life equal to 
and even superior to theirs, but had neglected them all, and had 
been leading a selfish life of dissipation and indifference for 
many years, perfectlj^ regardless of any disgrace he might 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 313 

bring upon his family. Several fortunes he had inherited and 
squandered, so that he was always in want and was forever 
trying to impose on them, and they refused to have anything 
more to do with him. The manner of this man's imposition 
was made clear to me when the wife showed the correspon- 
dence he at one time had with the British consul at Mannheim, 
which was of such an abusive and insulting nature that it was 
not surprising to learn that the consul had refused to interest 
himself in this man any more. 

My sympathies were with the poor wife, but I could give 
her no better advice than to apply once more to the local author- 
ities, who might take into consideration the fact that she had 
been born a German and had always lived in Freiburg, and 
that accordingly some employment might eventually be found 
for her; and with her departure from the office the incident, 
this insight into a real family drama, seemed to be at an end. 



314 Faces and Phases of German Life. 

Chapter VII. 

SOMK MONTHS IvATKR. 

IVhy, zvoman, your husband is in his old luncs again; so 
rails against all married mankind; so curses all Eve's daugh- 
ter's, of zvhat complexion soever; that any madness, I ever yet 
beheld, seemed but tanieness, civility and patience to this his 
distemper he is in nozv. — Merry Wives of Windsor : IV, 2. 

In course of time, because of the many other office-callers 
and duties generally, this strange family history was forgotten, 
until after many months an unexpected caller came, this same 
woman, Mrs. Jason, who again applied for help, but in a dif- 
ferent manner, for now she was offering some of her handi- 
work for sale. She declared that after her previous visits to 
me she had made further efforts for herself and husband, but 
all to no purpose; she had also endeavored to obtain employ- 
ment, but without success, for no one desired to have in his 
employ a person as old as she was ; she had applied for a situ- 
ation as saleslady, and as cashier, and as lady's maid, and as 
governess, knowing that she was well qualified for these posi- 
tions, but the same objection was raised in every case — she was 
too old. As a last resort in this great struggle for existence 
Mrs. Jason hoped to make success of needlework, at which she 
had been quite expert in her younger days, and now, after 
months of tedious, patient work in crocheting, knitting and in. 



Faces and Phases of German Life. 315 

needlework of all kinds, she was going from house to 
house. She never called to see him, for he only abused her 
pointments. As regards her husband, he was still in the insane 
asylum, though transferred to a lower class, and it was her 
constant prayer that he would not have to be taken to the poor- 
house. She never called to see him, for he only abused her 
whenever she visited him, and she had no hope of his recov- 
ery, for he seemed to be forever lost to the world and incur- 
ably insane. His life had been one of continual dissipation and 
his condition was even worse than death, though "The wages 
of sin is death"; he had violated the laws of nature throughout 
his whole life, and was now reaping the reward. That great 
truth, *'The way of the transgressor is hard,',' certainly applied 
to him, and we may well ask the question, "Did it pay?" He 
had ever aimed for and specially desired the ignoble, that 
which morally contaminates and destroys, until at last his 
brain, suffering from the perpetual strain of dissipation, had 
refused to act normally, and the real true mind, that which 
constituted the man and the human being in him, had gone for- 
ever. A man of very high natural qualities, both physical and 
mental, had, through his own voluntary acts of indiscretion, 
fallen into a state of ruin and desolation which one could not 
refrain from pitying, even while he condemned the man. 

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